To Love and Protect
by Leighwooddrive
Summary: Sometimes the worst creatures out there are the ones that you once cared about. What happens when you get the courage to leave but they won't let you go? When Paul imprints, is his love and protection enough to keep her safe? Paul/ OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"COME ON JARED!" Paul yelled. "Who cares if Kim throws a hissy fit later because we didn't clean up! She made it for us so I'm sure she can clean it up too. We got a game to get to. We are going to hit rush hour traffic in Seattle if we don't leave now. It's a four hour drive and I want to be there before the Mariners start not after the first inning. Besides, she cleans up dishes all day at the diner."

Jared had heard enough, "Paul if you want to eat here ever again then you will get in here and help get this kitchen cleaned up!"

Paul huffed and began picking up dishes. Kim would probably get mad if they left a mess but she would get over it. Everyone was always so concerned about upsetting their imprints.

.

Leaning against the glass Megan sighs looking out at the sea of white clouds spread across the sky. As the plane begins its decent she closes her eyes as she tries to ignore her nerves of landing by distracting herself with her schedule. The list is timed out: find baggage claim, car rental desk _ask for map if GPS is wrong_, grab something to eat along the way, arrive in Forks by two, check in, shower and change, leave by 3:00 to head to La Push, interview with principal, tribal chief, and elder, and pray that you get the job!

It's been a crazy several years and Megan is ready for a simple, happy and peaceful existence. Moving from literally an east coast sandy, sunny, urban, and crowded beach to a west coast rocky, cloudy, rural and isolated beach seemed like the perfect place to change everything. She had seen enough to know what she wanted or what she couldn't handle anymore. It was time to choose a place where she was hoping her past would never look for her.

She cringed as people pushed past her. She thanked the flight crew and walked with her head up with hope that this is where she was supposed to be.

Everything is on schedule as she pulled into Forks and easily found the hotel. Megan is surprised that she feels this excited. It's a weird excitement gnawing in her stomach as she quickly primps for her interview.

.

"EMILY!" shouts Sam from the stairs. From the laundry room in the back of the house she emerges carrying a basket full of clothes to be folded. Sam quickly bounds down the stairs to take it from her. "Sorry" he lightly kisses her cheek while she rolls her eyes playfully. "Do you know where my white dress shirt is? I have that interview at 3:30 and I want to iron it." "Already done, it's hanging on the back of the laundry room door." Emily states with a small smile.

"Thank you" Sam visibly relaxes at the thought of not possibly messing up the one dress shirt he owns. Just as the two of them are heading up stairs with shirt and basket in hand, Paul walks in the door. "Hey man, what's up? Did the psychic call or anything?"

"What?" Sam asked confused.

"The leech psychic – did Jacob call? I got this feeling something's going to happen or something is coming. I can't shake it. It's been with me all day."

"No, I haven't heard anything. Give him a call and see if they got wind of anything. I got to get going down to the school to meet up with Sue and Joe Porter."

"Alright – see you two later. Em? Is that your homemade spaghetti sauce I smell?" with a gleam in his eye.

"Yep, and I got plans to make some chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, too."

Before walking out the door Paul licks his lips at the thought then smiles, "You will definitely see me later."

.

Two hours later, Megan pulls up to the small wooden building that houses the La Push Tribal School grades K-12. It's a world away from her previous teaching places. One a poor urban steel mill school district in Philadelphia and a large, rich school system by the beach with 70+ schools but THIS is what she wants. It's small, a community based school centered around the tribe and not a steel mill or loaded with parents who buy their way onto the school board for social standing and not a concern for education. Reaching in the back she pulls out her portfolio and purse and nervously heads into the building. She tells herself to settle down. '_You've done this before -COOL IT!' Damn – maybe I should have made myself throw up before I came then maybe I wouldn't be this anxious.' 'Okay, okay – show time'_

Pushing the office door open with a smile she is greeted by a middle age woman, Caroline Yokma, the school secretary. She shows her to Mr. Porter's office. There she is introduced to Joe Porter, principal of the Tribal School, Sue Clearwater, tribal council elder, and Chief Sam Uley.

Mr. Porter was quietly hoping this interview would go without any problems. Ms. Anderson has more qualifications than any other teacher currently at the school. With her degree in special education, elementary education and a concentration on behavior disorders with experience; she could really be an asset.

After interviewing for an hour followed by a ten minute wait in the office waiting area, Megan is offered the second and third grade teaching position in the fall that starts in about two months. She is struggling to stay professional as she gladly accepts. Sue Clearwater has offered to help her find a place to live in Forks as she leaves with Mr. Porter for a tour of the building and signing some paperwork.

Megan is excited and anxious to begin working and being in La Push; she almost seems sad when she crosses over into Forks for dinner at a local eatery. She can't believe she has this feeling of restlessness to get back to La Push. She calls Brandon and Michael and lets them know she did in fact get the job. Michael had already planned to travel across country with his girlfriend to bring Megan's furniture. If she didn't find a job with the Quileute reservation then she would settle somewhere around the Seattle area. Originally she had planned on flying to Sioux Falls to meet up with Michael on Sunday however he insisted that she stay and find a place and get to know the area while they drive out.

Drinking a decaf latte from a coffee shop, Megan is cruising the internet looking for rental properties in the area. This is where is she is supposed to be; it's in her gut. It's going to be the type of place she has been trying to get to for the last 5 years.

.

Paul is pacing his house and can't seem to settle down so his nerves are shot. Jacob hadn't been any help but he would have Alice take a look to be sure. He finally calls Jared to tell him to stay home with Kim, he'll pick up his patrol tonight. He needs to run off some of this energy. Something is coming and he can't shake the feeling. It has been pulling at him all day and he's never felt this before.

.

The drive to La Push is beautiful. Megan can really appreciate it this time since she knows where she is going. She will be meeting Ms. Clearwater at her diner for lunch then apartment shopping. As she rounds a large bend a logging truck is taking up the road. She slams on the brakes making a tire blow; she skids to a stop before hitting the truck. Grabbing her chest, she tries to calm down as two loggers get out and make their way to her car. Getting out of her car, she gives them a nervous smile as she looks down at her rear tire. Megan feels it right away. These are not people to be trusted or around in the middle of a long stretch of road in an unfamiliar area. They have the creepy smile that Megan knows is sending warning signals to her survival side. One of them leans against her closed driver door while she looks down at the tire.

"Wow, that tire is thrashed!" says the dirty blonde one with an overgrown mustache.

Megan simply shrugs it off, "Yeah, I am sure there is a spare tire in the trunk. My boyfriend is about five minutes behind me. I'll have him change it."

She starts checking her cell phone for Sue Clearwater's number praying that someone answers.

.

Paul is awoken with a sudden feeling of dread. Something is happening right now and its bad, real bad. His heart is racing as he runs outside and phases as quickly as possible stopping only to howl to the others and heads to run the border. Sam and Emily are enjoying coffee with each other as he hears Paul's howl. Immediately Sam is on high alert as he runs out back to phase and meet with the others.

"Paul, what is it? Vampire?!" Sam demands.

"The feeling I have had is happening. We need to check the entire place NOW!"

Sam doesn't question him and begins yelling orders to sweep the entire area to check for anything that might be threat.

Everyone is quiet. They can feel the panic of Paul's feelings. The pack begins sweeping the reservation without a word. Everyone is focused and determined to protect the tribe. Then Paul catches it- the scent. It's the most tempting and heady smell but it has a mask of blood. Paul's thoughts are not his own, they are overthrown by his wolf. It is pure fear and rage as Paul's wolf pushes forward and guides the route to her. He can't hear his pack members. It's completely instinctual now. SHE is hurt.

The others soon reach him and now they are confused. Paul is standing over the top of a girl lying on the ground unconscious. He is snarling and wild as he threatens his pack members that slowly come near him. He sees red and he has to defend his mate.

The standoff lasts for several minutes before Sam's shock slowly wears off looking at Paul's feral stance. He knows this scent –it's Megan Anderson. What the hell happened?

**For those of you that have followed me from my last story thank you! I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

**I have rated this M because I am not sure if it will include content not suitable for a younger group. Therefore, I wanted to be safe and not sorry.**

**Unfortunately, I will be only updating one day a week this time. My husband is a bit cranky that I spend so much time on the computer and it was hard to keep the pace of updating. But I'll be updating each Sunday night.**

**I hope you like Megan and Paul's story. Thanks for reading, please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Everyone is quiet as they stare at Paul's guard of the girl. Sam is the first to try to break Paul out of his wild state.

"PAUL! PAUL! STAND DOWN! ITS YOUR PACK MATES WE AREN'T GOING TO HURT HER! SHE'S HURT. SHE NEEDS TO GET TO A DOCTOR! YOU CAN'T HELP HER IF YOU WON'T LET ANYONE NEAR HER! WE WON'T HURT HER REMEMBER WE WILL HELP PROTECT HER!"

Sam quietly waits for his words to begin to sink in while ordering Embry and Seth to follow her scent to where she started. Without a word they head off in the opposite direction looking for clues to what has happened.

Paul shows no signs of standing down. Sam decides to change his approach, he quietly talks to Paul hoping his wolf will settle and Paul can regain control by satisfying his want to know her.

"Paul – I know her. Her name is Megan Anderson. We just hired her to teach at the tribal school. She'll be here with you all the time to teach second and third grade. Right now she needs you to help get her to a doctor. She needs you to be able to settle down enough to phase back. YOU need to be the one who takes care of her. You don't want one of us to carry her but she needs help RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone crouches down in a non-threatening manner waiting for Sam's order and Paul to regain his hold. No one has ever seen this. They all are in shock to the events that have unfolded in such a short period of time. It's unnerving to think your wolf can take complete control and turn on your pack.

Paul stops snarling. He still feels the panic but he is gaining control as he knows she has to get help. He wants to carry her and feel her in his arms. He looks down at her and whimpering nuzzles her chin as he feels reassured by steady and strong beat of her heart.

"Paul – you need to be in control to carry her. You can't risk her being hurt more."

Paul's wolf whimpers and starts to lose some control with anger at the thought of her being hurt more. He knows he can't do it yet but she needs help now. His wolf can't handle one of the guys touching her so he looks to Leah, "Leah, please. Please gently carry her for me. I need you to be careful. I am afraid I can't control myself."

Sam cautions Leah to look to Paul for direction on how she should proceed.

Leah nods her head and slowly walks behind a tree. She emerges dressed and slowly walks towards Paul and Megan. Her hands out to signal that she is not a threat, Paul is appreciative of Leah's unthreatening stance and slow movements. Slowly backing over Megan he looks quickly between Leah's approach and Megan's relaxed body. He gives her one more nudge with his nose as Leah slowly approaches.

Leah crouches down to her, ready to pick her up but waits for Paul's nod of approval. Leah gently pushes her arms under Megan and slowly rises with her in her arms. Paul approaches to better look at her injuries.

Paul nods his head and jesters for Leah to lead the way back to Sam's.

Kim and Emily are in the kitchen making pies as the group gets back to the house. Both are nervous bakers while the pack is on high alert, it makes the time pass easier if your head and hands are busy.

Leah reaches the back porch in good time. She turns and faces Paul and waits for him to let her know what he wants her to do. The tension is still thick as Paul starts pacing in a small space. Clearly, he is still on high alert and doesn't seem to be ready to phase back.

"Paul- I am going to call to Emily. She'll check her right here in front of you. She won't hurt her. Kim will call my mom. She can better help figure out what is going on. Okay?"

Paul looks to Leah and slowly nods.

"EMILY"

Emily throws down the tray and runs out the back door with Kim on her tail. Sam steps up to make sure they are protected if their sudden appearance panics Paul's wolf.

Emily and Kim's mouths are dropped as they look over the scene. They can feel the tension. Both seem to know they need to be cautious.

Leah turns to them. "Kim, call my mom and tell her we need her here as soon as possible. Let her know that someone is hurt and she'll need her nursing supplies." Kim nods and hurries back inside.

"Emily, can you get a rag to stop the bleeding and a blanket? She is getting cold." Emily quickly leaves and is back shortly with both.

The girls slowly lower her to the porch and tend to her while the others quietly watch. Sam orders Brady and Collin to run the perimeter to make sure the reservation is secure.

The sound of Sue's car quickly stopping on the gravel driveway announces her arrival. Kim leads her to the porch where Emily is wiping the blood from Megan's face. Sue cries out when she realizes that this is why Megan didn't turn up at the diner.

Leah lets her know that she is Paul's imprint. He is very edgy therefore she must be gentle and slow in her movements and let him know everything that she is doing.

Using her old nursing experience she begins looking over Megan. Sue smiles softly at Paul as she feels her head for a possible fracture. The others phase back waiting for her assessment. After a slow and methodical exam and care giving, Sue turns to Paul. "She might have a sprained ankle that I've wrapped, some cuts and bruises, a good gash on her forehead which I put a butterfly ban-aid on and a concussion where she must have hit her head. You'll need to keep a good eye on her and make sure gets rest. She'll wake up when she is ready. If she is starts to get nauseous, light headed or dizzy then I think it would be best to go to the emergency room. Congratulations Paul, she really seemed like a sweet girl yesterday during our interview."

She waits for Paul to nod before with a sad smile she backs away.

Sam hopes this is the right moment, "Paul, I think you should phase back and be the one to carry her in. You can lay her down in the guest room while you protect her. We don't want her to wake up scared of you in your wolf form. We need her to be able to talk to us when she's awake." At Sam's words, Emily, Kim and Sue head back into the house. Emily returns with some clothes for Paul to change into.

Paul has been ready for a while to phase back but thought it was best not to chance it so close to her. The wrong word or movement could have sent him or his wolf off and he didn't want to risk it. Mentally, he was ready. He had complete control again and needed to touch her, feel the heat of her body, and touch her face. Closing his eyes, he felt his body pull back together. He quickly dressed and slowly moved towards Leah to finally hold her himself. It was agonizing and sweet at the same time. She was here –right here- after all these years he could cry at the relief and stress. Even he felt shock in his own reaction to the pull. He knew it was strong but NOTHING could have prepared him for THIS. His mind couldn't settle. He wanted to know everything and want everything all at the same time.

Taking a deep breath he pulled her from Leah while quietly thanking her. It felt like everything he had ever wished for, SHE was everything he had ever wished for and he didn't know anything about her. His mate is here and he is holding her, smelling her sweet scent, and she's so small compared to him. He needs to protect her.

"Paul, take her up and we'll give you a minute alone with her while we figure out what has happened." Without a word, Paul moves to the door slowly, all the while looking at her face.

The rest move inside, Sam calls Embry to see what he's found.

"Sam – we found her car. It looks like her tire blew out on La Push Road just past the Pacific Northwest Trail. We found the scent of two men. There was a heavy diesel and wood smell as well. Seth and I think that it might have been a logging truck but it doesn't explain why she was found so deep in the forest. Her cell phone was on the ground just off of the road and the car was still running with her purse inside. She had to be running from something. Maybe the guys were going to attack her so she ran. Their scent was a ways in the forest but obviously they stopped chasing her after a while. We put on the spare and took it back to Jaocb's garage to get her a new tire."

"Good job Embry –thanks"

"How are things there?"

"It took a long time for Paul to get control but he had Leah bring her back to my place so Sue could check her out. It looks like she has a sprained ankle, cuts and bruises and a concussion that must have knocked her out." "Will you let the elders know that we need to have an emergency meeting this evening at my house? We need to discuss how we are going to handle Paul and how we can let Megan know what is going on."

"Megan? That's her name?"

"Yes, Megan Anderson, we just hired her yesterday for a teaching position at the school. At least, we know she wants to be here. She was heading back today to meet up with Sue for lunch and help looking for a place in Forks."

"Forks? I think you better find something on the res for her. She can't live in Forks if she is Paul's imprint. He'll get out of control again if he knows she won't be protected."

"Good point. I'll talk to the elders about finding a place somewhere here. We can try to persuade her to stay close. Thanks for the help. Let Billy and Old Quill know that we will meet here about 6:00. Sue is still here so I'll let her know the latest."

"Great – see you soon."

After letting everyone in on what Embry and Seth found and updating Emily, Kim and Sue of everything that happened; they decided it would be best that not so many people were around when Megan finally woke up. Sue would stay because Megan already knew her and she was female. It didn't appear that she had been violated however if Megan had been attacked then she might be quite frightened of men. This made Sam nervous to let Paul know that it might not be the best idea of he is around when she wakes up.

Sam headed up the steps a bit cautious of what he might find. He knocked lightly and slowly opened the door to find Paul sitting on the bed next to Megan slowly caressing her face.

"Paul – can I talk to you in the hall? We'll leave the door open so you can see her the whole time."

Paul sighed and with a light kiss to her forehead he moved to the door where Sam stood.

"Yes?" Paul looking at Megan the entire time.

"We need to be careful how we proceed from here. As I told you earlier, Megan was hired yesterday to teach second and third grade. She is going to need a council member to help her with the tribe legends and customs." Paul flashes his eyes to Sam. "Obviously, I'll recommend that you be that person. She was heading back to La Push to meet with Sue to find an apartment. Normally, she would not be recommended to live here but since she is yours then we'll all want her close." "We are going to meet at 6:00 so we can come up with a plan to help her adjust to life here and how we'll let her know about the legends." Paul nodded his head while looking at Sam then turned to look at Megan again. The relief he felt just by looking at her was incredible. It seemed to slowly move over him the longer he looked.

"Paul" Sam sternly called making Paul turn towards him. "I want you to be in control while I tell you what Embry found or we'll wait till you are ready or head outside." Paul looked at Sam with a stone face and told him to go on.

"Embry found her car. It looks like she had a tire blow out on La Push road. They found two male scents and possibly a logging truck scent. They are guessing that they scared her and she ran for it in the forest. She was followed for a short while by them. The car was still running and her purse was inside. Embry and Seth took the car back to Jacob's to get a new tire." Paul was shaking a little but closed his eyes then opened them to look her over again. Her clothes were dirty and a mess but she was still clothed. Her shirt was even halfway still tucked into her jeans. He could pray that it meant she wasn't violated.

"The girls are afraid of how she'll react to men especially someone she doesn't recognize when she comes to. We think it would be best if Sue and I are the first ones she sees. Please know that we are not trying to take her away from you but you don't want her to be afraid of you. You need her to feel safe and accepting of you when she's up."

Paul knew Sam was right but he can't be far from her. They needed to be introduced as soon as possible. The thought of not being there was a bit agonizing but he had to consider to best result would be when she was ready.

Quietly, Paul told him he was right.

Just then the door down stairs opened with Embry pushing in Billy and Old Quill not far behind but both ready to meet. Emily was left to watch over Megan while everyone else headed downstairs.

Sam started. "I am hoping that Embry filled the two of you in on what happened today." Each of them nodded their head and quickly glanced at Paul. "Well, first Sue believes that she'll be fine and will be waking up soon hopefully. Next, we need to find a place for her here. We obviously can't have her living in Forks. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"She can live at my house. I have an extra room." Sue offered.

Embry rolled his eyes. "She's an adult, Sue. I don't think she's going to want to live with an elder from the tribe. She can live in my apartment above the store. I'll move back in with my mom until she falls head over heels for Paul and moves in with him." Embry smugly smiled at Paul. Pointing to him – "You'll owe me dog!"

Paul slightly smiled and agreed with Embry but wanted to make sure the walls were painted and the carpet was replaced before she moved in. He wanted it to be a very appealing place so she wouldn't have any doubts that it was the right place for her.

"Don't worry man, I'll make the rent damn cheap in comparison to Forks. She would be crazy to pass it up."

"Thanks Embry but I am still nervous." Paul uncharacteristically said.

Old Quil grabbed Paul's hand, "Paul, Megan has become one of the most important persons in this tribe. We will do everything in our power to make her happy here. If she is living in La Push then everyone can keep an eye on her. We elders know that if something happens to her or any of the other imprints then the entire tribe will suffer. The two of you are linked completely and therefore the rest of the pack is linked to her as well. It's obvious that the pack feels protective of all the imprints, we all know their safety is the top priority even if we don't want to admit it."

Paul nodded his head in acknowledgement of Old Quil.

Sam interrupted, "Okay that's taken care of, now what do we do about letting her know about imprinting and our secret."

They discussed everything. Sue and Sam giving the group everything they knew about Megan and her background. Afterwards, they bantered back and forth about the best way to tell her and how Paul should be introduced.

It was decided that a bonfire would be held tomorrow night with the pack, imprints and elders and she would be invited by Emily. A picnic at Sam's the following weekend to introduce her to the extended family. Sue would insist that she stay with her or Sam so they could make sure she was safe and until the apartment would be ready. Paul would be introduced tomorrow at noon. He would be here to help Sam with something around the house. Most of the pack would spend the morning cleaning out the apartment and painting the walls. Jared and Embry would head to Seattle to get new carpet and a new counter top for the apartment. They and the others would work on it until the bonfire. It would be Megan's reaction and acceptance of Paul that would drive the rest of the plan. They felt it was important to not move too fast or she could be freaked and want to leave. Paul helping her at the school would be mentioned later when she was more integrated with the group.

Emily's pot roast was eaten and the group soon moved to their own devices. Paul immediately headed upstairs while Emily came down to get something to eat. Paul savored being able to stare at her without she possibly becoming uncomfortable. She was so beautiful. Her shoulder blade length light brown hair had sun kissed highlights. Her skin was flawless with the exception of a small dark freckle under her left eye. Her nose sloped perfectly and her mouth was small with slightly turned up at the ends. If he could only see her eyes then it would be perfect.

It all made sense now, the feeling on Friday. It was her. His wolf could feel her coming home. The need to run was his need to burn off his desire to find her. The pull he didn't realize until now was his hearts need to be by her. He completely understood his pack members need to make sure their imprints were safe and happy. His ignorance to the feelings that his pack mates felt towards their imprints was embarrassing. Paul realized that he felt her fear this morning. It was her heart that called him to find her, to protect her. Will she know him when she sees him? Emily and Kim didn't right away. Fear shot through him like lightning. What if she doesn't want him? It made him sick with worry. What if she wakes up and is freaked out that a strange man is at her bedside? What if she had a boyfriend? What if she didn't want anything to do with men after was happened to her? What if she felt La Push was too isolated and scary after what happened?

He could feel the tremors move through. He quickly rose and left before he would lose control. He needed something to do. He needed to feel like he was still protecting her. He flew down the stairs, startling everyone.

"I got to go for a run." He yelled without stopping out the back door.

"Hey dude, how's your girl?" Brady asked when he felt Paul phase.

"She's still sleeping. You can go home, I know you're almost done. I got to run."

"Thanks! Embry let us know what was going on so I'll see ya at his place in the morning!"

**Thank you for all that have read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Around 9:30 that night, Megan began to stir. Sue called down to Sam and Emily to come up.

Megan slowly opened her eyes and began to panic remembering what had happened right before she hit her head and passed out. Sue was there immediately.

"Shhhh it's Sue Clearwater. Megan you are safe. It's okay you are at Chief Uley's house. We found you. You are safe now."

Megan is trying to settle herself down. She heard Sue – she keeps telling herself- she's safe. The adrenaline is still coursing through her veins. She keeps looking between Sue and Chief Uley. Closing her eyes and trying to slow her breathing, she knows it will be okay. They are looking at her with concern when they all suddenly turn to look out the window when a wolf howls close to the house. Sam rushes out the room while Sue tries to calm her down.

Finally, she's calming down as Sue pulls her into a hug and whispers that again she's safe. One last shudder moves through her body as she feels she's in control of her fear again.

Sam rushes down the stairs and outside to the tree line where Paul is pacing back and forth.

"She's awake. She panicked at first; that's to be expected. Sue is holding her and reassuring her. You can hear her calming down. Give her time to understand what happened. " "Feel her heart slowing. She's okay. Remember we have a plan. Focus on the plan."

Paul is still pacing but he is whimpering with the stress of not being there.

"Paul, I am going to head back in there. I'll come out and give you an update."

Sam heads in and up the steps to see if Megan is now okay. He finds Sue sitting on the bed holding her while Emily is on the other side quietly talking.

He clears his throat, "Megan it's so good to see you up. You've had us all worried."

"Thanks Chief Uley-"

"Please call me Sam."

"Okay," she says shyly. "Thanks for finding me"

"Actually, it was one of the council members –Paul. We went looking for you when your car was found on the side of the road with your things still inside and Sue said you were supposed to meet up with her. We watch out and take care of each other here, that includes you now."

Megan gives a sad smile.

Sue stands, "Well, I think a nice hot shower and something good to eat would help you feel so much better. When the boys brought you back I checked you over. It looks like you have a sprained ankle and a good gash on your forehead. It bled a lot but all head wounds do that. The amount of blood made it look worse than what is was. You are going to want to take a nice hot shower to get that blood out of your hair and don't worry we'll put more antibiotic and a new bandage on it once you've finished. Tomorrow you can take it off for it to dry out and heal."

Megan gives her a small smile and nods in agreement.

Rising from the bed Emily agrees. "That's a great idea. I'll get you some towels and clothes so you can feel nice and refreshed."

"That's my cue to leave." Sam leaves with a grimace.

He heads out the door to Paul and phases so he can see for himself how she is doing.

Quietly Paul says "thank you" and lowers himself to the ground to stay vigil as close as possible.

After helping Megan to the shower, Sue and Emily join Sam downstairs.

As the water washes away the caked in blood from her hair, she is surprised how numb she feels about what happened earlier. It still feels right to be here. She is kind of shocked that she actually trusts everyone she's met. The good butterflies are still there, it's a sign, this is where she needs to be to find herself for once. Her mental pep talk has again made her excited to be here. Maybe this was karma's way of getting it out of the way, we can only move up from here. Smiling to herself, she turns off the water and begins drying off. On her arm are finger print bruises from the greasy red-haired one. Looking at them she mutters, asshole. And continues drying off and dresses.

Paul can feel the shift. She's going to be fine. She feels happy even with everything that happened to her. He quickly moves to the side of the house and lies against it making sure nothing can be seen from the windows. He'll be as close as he can without actually being with her. He feels so right but still too far away.

Megan slowly descends the stairs careful that her ankle doesn't give out on her. She is going to enjoy this she tells herself. She'll get something to eat and head back to Forks. She'll ask for their numbers before she goes just in case. Hopefully, Sue or Emily can help her tomorrow with a place to stay tomorrow. The hotel is not that appealing. She remembers rolling her eyes at the description on the internet – modern décor – maybe 25 years ago.

As Megan comes into view, Sam rises to help her walk to the table. She smiles and quietly says thanks. Emily has gone all out with the perfect comfort food – broccoli and cheese soup with fresh bread. As Megan begins eating she tells them what really happened on La Push Road. The two loggers trying to persuade her to the truck but her resisting. Them trying to grab her while she used the few self-defense moves she knows before taking off into the forest. Spraining her ankle and hitting her head occurred at the same time and she was thankful that she got far enough away to make sure she wasn't caught.

Sam is angry with the conformation with the loggers. The tribe had recently hired them to clear an area for a new tribal community center. However, it would now be stopped and the company fired for the attack on Megan. He would take care of that first thing Monday morning.

Sue is surprised that Megan seems to be taking the attack so well but hopes that it isn't a front. She knows that Paul will need her to feel safe and happy here if she is going to stay.

Emily isn't as surprised with Megan's lack of fear. It's the close proximity to Paul that makes her feel safe and protected. It will help her heart to recognize him when they are officially introduced tomorrow.

Megan hums her approval of Emily's soup as she sops up the last of it with the bread. She turns to Emily and lets her know she hasn't had homemade bread since her grandmother was alive and thanks her again for everything. She asks Sam about her car that Embry returned earlier.

"lt's here. One of the guys what I was telling you about earlier brought it back a while ago. It's out front. Emily has your purse in the kitchen."

"Great. I really want to thank everyone for their help. Maybe once I get a place to live I can have everyone over for dinner. I hate to ask but Sue, are you still willing to help me with that?" She smiled.

"Actually, when Embry brought your car back he asked if you were looking for place. He is just now finishing some updating on an apartment above his tackle shop. It has two bedrooms and one bath with new carpet, fresh paint and I think he was replacing the counter top too."

"Sounds perfect. Do you think he'll let me check it out tomorrow?"

Sue smiled, "sure. I'll give him a call in the morning and see if we can stop by."

"Thanks again for all of your help even in the short time I've been here."

Sam grabbed her hand, "Megan there isn't anyone to thank – you are a part of this tribe now. We'll always be here for you."

As Sam mentioned her being a part of the tribe it made her feel more complete and excited to learn the ways of the tribe.

"Well- I better head back to Forks. It's getting really late."

"WHAT? You can't leave." Emily exclaimed.

Paul whimpered as he heard her mentioning leaving. He'd follow her there but it would be more difficult to secretly protect her there.

"Megan, I don't think that's a good idea. You were unconscious for quite a while. I don't want you to go anywhere alone for at least the next two days. I am sure Emily can give you one of Sam's old shirts to wear to bed. Tomorrow we can head back to Forks and get your stuff so you can check out."

Megan was okay with spending the night tonight but staying with someone she doesn't know until she was in her apartment was a commitment she wasn't sure she wanted to make. "Tonight is fine Sue. Can we just see how I feel tomorrow before I make any decisions?"

With a stretch Sue got up and easily agreed with her. Walking over to Megan, Sue bend down and gave her a good hug. "Welcome to the tribe, honey. We have needed some new energetic blood around here. I am excited to see how you'll help our kids." Emily got a short hug and a knowing look.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. About 9 okay, Megan?"

"Sure."

Sam walked her out as they quietly confirmed the councils plans for tomorrow so that Megan would be integrated as soon as possible but again they needed to watch for signs they were pushing her too fast. Sam was still afraid that Paul's wolf would soon make another appearance if she showed resistance.

Sue's mentioning of Megan wearing Sam's t-shirt made Paul's wolf growl with unhappiness at the thought of his scent on her. It should be his scent. At this realization, Paul flew from the house to get his own shirt. He would give Emily a shirt for her.

As Sam came back in from walking Sue out, Megan was headed out to sit on the front steps to call her brother. She had let him know the night before that she was going to be staying in Forks. She had planned on originally flying to Sioux Falls and continue the drive across country with Michael and his girlfriend, April. They driving a rental truck but he told her to get herself a place and get to know the area in the meantime.

Paul listened to her speak with her brother and how she down played the events of the day were a confirmation that she was okay to stay here. Knowing that she was on the front porch he headed inside to give Emily a shirt that he wanted her to have.

Soon everyone was in bed and Megan quickly drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow will be a day of revelations.

Sam left the house about 3 am to check in with Seth and Leah that had patrol. He found Paul asleep next to the house as he ran to the tree line.

Megan was up early. She quietly made her way downstairs. She decides to snoop around the kitchen and get a pot of coffee going. A small headache and a sore ankle just might be nipped in the butt with some caffeine and two Tylenol. Grabbing the pills from her purse and a mug from the cabinet she fills her cup and heads to the front porch swing she spotted last night. Slowly swing back and forth while looking around, she is enjoying the quiet spender of the morning.

The front door swings open to reveal Emily in a bathrobe and fluffy slippers with her own mug. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Megan says with a smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"Just the remnants of dull headache and a sore ankle but I am hoping this," lifting her mug, "will fix that."

After hearing the girls talking on the porch, Paul takes off towards Embry's. He needs to make sure everything is getting done for Megan's place. He wants it perfect. She's got to love it.

The pack has really stepped up to help get everything ready for Megan. After a round congratulations and "it's about time" They seem to realize it's not a good time joke him about all of the crap he has given other pack mates that have imprinted. They easily see his worry and nervousness of finally meeting her. By eleven, Paul's nerves are shot. He needs to head home and shower. It's a big day and deciding what to wear is something he never needed to worry about before.

Sue arrives by 9:00. After a short debate, Megan will stay with Sam and Emily until her brother and girlfriend get here on Tuesday with her stuff. They decide to drive to Forks, change clothes and pack up anything left at the hotel then head to Sue's diner for a nice brunch. Sue will call Embry during brunch to run Megan by the apartment sometime that afternoon. She'll try to arrange that Paul is the one to do that.

"I'm starved," said Emily. "I can't wait for a nice western omelet!" Emily and Megan sit in a booth as Sue heads to the kitchen to check how the morning rush has gone.

Kim eyes Emily from behind Megan and with a big silly grin as she heads to the table. Trying her best to be professional, Kim greets Emily enthusiastically while turning her attention to Megan. "Hi, I am Kim."

"Hi – Megan. It's nice to meet you."

Emily turns to Kim, "Megan will be the new teacher at the tribal school. She just got here Friday. AND we are going to have to get her in on our Gossip Girl nights at your place."

"OHHH," Kim sits next to Emily and looks at Megan, " you MUST COME however it's BYOIC – Bring Your Own Ice Cream." They all giggle at Kim's excitement to another Gossip Girl fan. They have a short discussion of their characters and story lines.

"Oh yeah, did you guys want to order?" Kim finishes with her giggles turning to Megan.

"I'll have scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and home fries and some coffee, please"

Smiling Kim turns to Emily, "l'll have a western omelet with extra mushrooms and coffee as well."

"Great – I'll put that in and I'll be right back with your coffee."

Sue emerges from the back with an exasperated expression and plops down next to Megan in the booth. "I am not here one morning and they STILL mess up the orange juice dispenser," while rolling her eyes. "Oh Em, we need to make a list of what we'll need for tonight so one of us can stop at the store after we eat."

Megan just smiled as Emily and Sue bantered back and forth on a menu. As Kim drops off three coffees she asks them to let her know what she'll be in charge of and moves to her other tables.

Sue turns to look at Megan, "Do you have a heavy sweatshirt or sweater with you?"

Completely, thrown off by the question, Megan stutters a "W-what?"

Sue asks again, "Do you have a sweatshirt or sweater in your bags?"

Cautiously, Meg answers no.

"Oh don't worry, one of the boys can give you one," Sue answers with a twinkle in her eye.

Megan's mind is flustered as she asks why she'll need a sweatshirt.

"The bonfire tonight – _remember_" Sue knows it's not fair to play with her with this but she can't resist.

"What bonfire?" Megan asks glancing at Emily.

"Megan, I am sorry I was supposed to let you know there's a bonfire tonight at First Beach. Obviously, you are invited. The elders and council members will be there. You will be able to hear the tribe's legends. It's something you'll need to know for school but don't worry the elders have assigned a council member to help you out. Traditionally, it's been a Quiellete native that has an in depth knowledge of them so you'll have no problems."

"Oh, okay," relieved Megan sighs. "Well, if I am going then I better make something to bring."

"WHAT? – no, no you'll be a guest of honor we don't expect you to bring anything. You don't even have a place yet." Sue said waving Megan off with her hand.

"Guest of honor?" Megan almost gulps on the last word.

Just then Kim shows up with Emily and Megan's brunch and a short order of pancakes for Sue, cutting the conversation short.

Megan nervously stays quiet for the rest of the meal. Emily and Sue mentally amuse themselves with the fact she's been and will be the hot topic for quite some time.

After leaving Sue at the diner, Megan and Emily run to the store, Emily is anxious to get home before noon. It would be best if they were busy making various items for the bonfire when Paul shows up.

Sue gives Paul a short call letting him know that she'll need something to keep warm at the bonfire.

Megan has a weird pulling in her stomach that seems to pull tighter as they arrive back at Emily's. She brushes it off as nerves in meeting a lot of people at the bonfire and does her best to ignore the feeling.

Paul is there, in the tree line, watching Megan help Emily carry in the groceries. He grabs onto a tree to prevent himself from rushing over to take the bags from her. These feelings are completely derailing. He never realized the strength of an imprint and need to make sure she is completely content. It's like he doesn't even recognize himself of two days ago, that part of his life is dead. It's centered around her, everything.

Sam grabs the bags as Emily and Megan come through the door and head toward the kitchen after smiling at Megan then giving Emily a light kiss on the cheek.

A knock at the door stops them all from unloading the bags, Sam leaves to retrieve it smiling to himself that it was probably the first time Paul has ever knocked here.

"Megan, can you come here please?" Sam calls from the living room.

Megan puts down a box she is pulling out of the bag and heads to the room. Emily is hot on her heels. She's not going to miss this.

Megan feels the pull getting stronger as she heads towards the room. She tries her best squelch it as she looks up to greet the visitor then she meets his eyes.

Her mind is blank but she feels a sweeping warmth run through her body. She's caught, right there, in his eyes, she can't hear anything, feel anything, smell anything, only look into his eyes, her brain is blank, stuck there. It's on overload and her conscience brain can't keep up with the feelings coursing through her body. She can't breathe, think, or feel her surroundings, her brain shorts out and Megan begins to faint.

.

Paul is almost nauseas as he reaches the porch. He can feel her, actual length of distance between them. The pull is strengthening as he continues to move near the door. Deciding that the proper thing would be to knock, he takes a deep breath and awkwardly knocks on the front door.

Sam pulls it open with a smirk and as he moves back to let Paul in, he calls her to the living room. Dizzy with excitement, Paul moves forward and is looking to the kitchen entry to watch her round the corner.

She looks up and that's it. They are locked. He doesn't even have a thought in his head that doesn't center on her eyes. The specks of blue in the gray gives them depth that he wants to swim in forever. The smile slowly begins to spread across his stunned face but she begins to fall, he quickly runs and grabs her before she hits the ground. Pulling her tight he nuzzles her neck as he cradles her limp body close to his carrying her to the couch.

**This story takes place about 10 years after Breaking Dawn. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sam and Emily are in shock. An imprint has never had this type of initial reaction before. What does this mean? They quietly leave the room and head to the kitchen to give them privacy.

Paul's wolf purrs with relief and satisfaction. Smelling her, feeling her warmth, and the beat of her heart against his chest is lulling them to bliss. After a few moments, Megan opens her eyes and looks into his eyes again. Tears begin to flow unabandonned down her cheeks, she is so confused and overwhelming happy all at the same time. Her body begins to lightly shake with confusion and the feelings of irrational love for someone that she hasn't even met.

Paul gently wipes her cheeks as he tries to hush her soft sobs of happiness. Speaking softly, "Megan I know you are confused but it's going to be okay. You are safe and everything is fine. My name is Paul. I want you to believe me when I say everything is okay and you are safe. I am going to sit you up. Okay?"

Not waiting for an answer he slowly rights her, keeping her next to him. This was again unexpected, obviously, she must feel the strong pull of the imprint maybe almost as strong as he. Taking deep breaths, Megan does her best to calm her nerves and racing heart. Megan's rational side is telling her that this isn't possible after just one look into someone's eyes. She is trying to fight the feelings of love and complete contentment. This crap is only something that happens in the movies. _What is wrong with her?_

She keeps yelling to herself to calm down. Why can't she control her feelings? It's a good kind of stress but overwhelmingly scary at the same time. She puts her head in her hands to break the connection long enough to get in control again.

He just waits, holding her next to his side, rubbing her forearm with his hand wrapped around her.

After a several minutes, Megan is calmed down enough to figure out what is going on. The pull that has been there since coming to Washington is gone and there's sense of relief that she now feels.

"What is that?" she quietly pleads.

"Tell me what you feel, I can explain it better if you let me know what it is you feel compared to me."

But Megan is afraid of what will he'll say if she tells him the truth. It's crazy. She just got here. The rumors of the new crazy teacher isn't something she wants spread.

She shakes her head no.

Paul can tell it's her fear of sounding crazy that is holding her back. However, if he dives right into loving her then she may take off for the hills.

"How about I ask you and you can agree or disagree?"

Apprehensively, she agrees.

Running his free hand through his hair with a twinge of fear of scaring her off, "Have you had a pulling feeling in your chest since Friday?"

Without speaking, her eyes go wide as she nods in agreement.

"Do you feel that pull now?"

She breathlessly says no. Paul grins. He knows he can't ask for a better reaction from her.

"Do you feel like you know me even though we've never met?"

Shaking her head yes a lone tear falls down her cheek.

Using his thumb he brushes her tear away and looks even deeper into her eyes, "Tell me, what do I feel like to you?"

Biting her lip and scared of what he'll say, "Like home."

A warm smile spreads across his face and that warmth spreads across his heart. Megan gives a shy smile as he hugs her close to his body. She wraps her arms around him as they just enjoy the feeling.

Megan finally pulls back after a few minutes, "Why do I feel this way? How is it possible?" she tentatively asks.

"At the risk of sounding like a cliché, have you heard the term 'soul mate' before?"

"Of course"

"_That's_ what this is. You don't feel that pull but now it's a sense of completeness that we are together. It's our hearts, no our souls recognize each other. _We _consciously don't know each other but our hearts do and they can feel each other even when we are not in the same room. I didn't know you existed until you were here and my heart let me feel you. I have waited so long for you to come."

"B-but why is this happening to us? This happens in the movies, I've never heard of this before. I am kind of scared of what I am feeling. I-I-I just don't understand."

"It's a rare Quiellete gene that is only carried by a few of us. We call it imprinting. The legend says that when you see your imprint you recognize your other half. I guess being me being a native Quiellete that carries the gene essentially triggers it in you as well."

"But I didn't see you before. When you walked in was the first time I saw you. So why did I feel that pull?"

"Megan, I am the one that found you in the forest. I felt that something was really wrong and I needed to search the forest. I can't even tell you why I did- I just did. Doing that lead me to you. You were hurt and… I'll just say that I didn't react to it well.

I didn't think you felt the imprint. It hasn't happened before with the other imprints or at least the legends don't say it has."

Megan was processing everything he said. She wouldn't believe anything he said if she didn't feel the exact things that he was describing. Wait – the others knew what was happening? He said he didn't react well. What did that mean? Why wasn't he here when she woke up then?

Looking up she asked, "Why weren't you here, when I woke up?"

Running a hand through his hair, he decides evasion just might be the right response right now instead of explaining why he couldn't be here without letting the wolf out of the bad literally.

"We were afraid that after what happened to you that you might be scared of men. I didn't want our first meeting be that you were afraid of me. I also, think you need to hear all of the tribe's legends, okay?"

Megan quietly understands and agrees to wait to hear the legends that night to better understand everything.

Paul gives breathy laugh and turns his body to face her and puts out his hand. "Hi, I am Paul La Hote" using his biggest grin.

Giggling Megan reaches out her hand to shake his, "Megan Anderson."

"So it's come to my attention that you will be educating the tribe's second and third grade children."

Mimicking at his light and formal tone, "Yes, I am."

"Do you think you'll be needing assistance controlling those wild kids? I can be very authoritative" he says in a stern voice.

"Nope. A bunch of second and third graders are going to be easy."

Just then Sam and Emily make reappearance in the living room.

Emily clearly having been crying, Megan's face flushes with embarrassment over having them overheard their conversation. She quickly stands and pats down her shirt feeling uncomfortable sitting so intimately in front of someone she sees as her boss. Paul stands as well.

Sam can see her shy nature but he wants to tell her it's not her that he is shocked over – it's Paul. He's never seen him like this before EVER. The hot headed and bit of a loner has never been this relaxed and loving in the presence of anyone. But Paul has always been fearouisly loyal, protective, and quick to anger. Sam is praying this is the beginning of and woman that can let Paul become the happy complete man he deserves to be.

Emily quietly walks over to Megan and pulls her into a strong hug. She then turns to Paul and squeezes him even tighter and whispers how happy she is for him and he doesn't need to be alone anymore. Paul squeezes her back but says nothing. He's afraid that his voice will crack thanking her.

Sam turns to Megan and says, "I know all of this is unbelievable. Tonight, you'll understand more and probably have more questions but I promise you'll love it here."

Megan nods her head yes but stays quiet.

Emily breaks the tense moment with a suggestion, "Why don't the two of you go take a look at the apartment Embry has above his shop? I don't know if the boys have finished up but you'll be able to get an idea of what you'll have to work with. It will also give you time to privately talk."

Paul can feel Megan's uneasiness at discussing what just happened between them and eagerly agrees.

Without thinking, Paul pulls her into his side and directs her to the door. Paul waits as Megan grabs her purse.

Paul realizes that he doesn't have his car having taken a path through the forest to get to Sam's.

"We'll have to take your car. I didn't bring mine."

She hands the keys to Paul, "I don't have any idea where the apartment is; so you can drive."

Opening the passenger door, he helps her sit as he runs around to the driver's side. Folding his 6'5" in frame in the economy rental car takes some doing but luckily the seat practically slides to the back seat.

"Ahhh, I guess economy size just doesn't work that well for you," she smiles.

"Actually, you might be surprised to know that I drive a Smart car," Paul replies with a completely straight face then bursts out laughing when her mouth drops open and her nose scrunches up.

While laughing she hits his arm, "Jerk" silently then saying 'owww'

She crosses her arms and mutters, "it's a Ford F-150, I am sure"

"WHAT? How did you know?"

Now it's her turn to laugh at him.

It feels so natural. There's no awkward quietness or feelings as Paul pulls her hand to his knee to hold.

"Are you sick?" Megan pull her hand back.

"No"

"Paul you are burning up. I can't believe you don't feel like crap." Her voice reveals that she is clearly upset and concerned.

"It's the gene. For whatever reason, it makes our normal body temperature much higher than normal. I feel fine though and I don't get sick often." Paul smiles to himself knowing that Megan is worried about him. She put her hand back into his to hold.

The drive is short and soon he pulls up behind the tackle shop where the entrance to the private residence above is located. Both of them get out and Megan starts looking around. The apartment is definitely atop a retail store but it luckily has more of a quaint feeling rather than an industrial one.

Paul leads her to the stairs as Quill and Jared come quickly running down them.

"Oh hey, you must be Megan. I am Quil," he extends a paint speckled hand to her.

"Yes I am, it's nice to meet you Quil."

"I'm Jared, it's nice to finally meet YOU." He has a smirk on his face that Paul has a sudden urge to remove for him.

Jared backs up with his hands raised in surrender. Megan quickly glances at Paul to see why Jared would change his demeanor so suddenly.

Trying to diffuse the situation quickly Quil tells Megan that he wants her to keep an eye on Claire for him while she's at school. She tends to not play attention where she is going and ends up with bumps and bruises all over from running into things.

Megan politely agrees but with Claire being in the seventh and eighth grade group she'll be in another part of the building from the younger kids.

Jared lets Megan know that the apartment should be completely ready by Tuesday. They are just waiting for some special glue to secure the new granite counter top.

Megan thanks the guys for getting the apartment ready.

Paul suddenly urges Megan up the stairs, "Okay, so we'll see you guys tonight."

At the top, Megan steps aside to let Paul be the one to open the unlocked door. The apartment is nice. Obviously, by the smell it was just painted with new carpet. The living room is pretty large with a nice wall of windows that looks straight over the tree line to the Pacific Ocean in the distance. The kitchen is small but functional. It overlooks the large room with an island. The larger bedroom will be able to fit her bedroom suite and the spare will work as an office/ guest room. The bathroom is tiled white with a white cabinet. It doesn't have a big tub but a spacious shower. She can't complain because its clean and she's never felt the need for a large one.

Megan does love the apartment but kind of feels like it's a given that she'll live there. It went from take a look to you'll be moving in on Tuesday. She has a feeling she is really missing the big picture of what is going on in La Push. However, she doesn't seem apprehensive. She tells herself that it must be Paul. Typically, she's stand offish and likes to be by herself. However, since waking up at Sam's she has been with someone all most the whole time and people she doesn't know but she's comfortable.

"Do you know how much the rent is per month and if any utilities are included?" Megan looks up at Paul.

Paul had been watching her reactions the entire tour of the place to get a feeling for what she might think. He would move here and give her his place if he needed to. Even better, she could just move right in at his house.

Dazed Paul stutters, "I have no idea. You can ask Embry tonight at the bonfire."

Walking to the large window in the living room, Megan looks out, "It's a beautiful view. I'll have to arrange my furniture so I can look out while reading."

Smiling Paul asks, "Is there anything that you don't like or wish it had?"

"I was hoping for a balcony or porch but the view makes up for that," she says with a smile.

Grapping her hand, "I got one at my house, I guess you'll just have to visit often"

"Okay" she smiles.

"Let's go get some lunch I am starving!" Paul smiles looking down at her.

After a nice drive through La Push while Paul pointed out various landmarks and his youthful stomping ground, both internally muse the feeling of happiness and contentment.

They pull into a restaurant that luckily Paul doesn't recognize anyone who works there. He doesn't want to introduce her to anyone. This lunch in his mind is a big deal, it's a sad version of a first date but he'll take anything he can get.

After ordering drinks, Paul was going to start trying to get to know everything there is to know about her.

"Do you have any idea what you'll want to eat?" asked Paul.

"I am not that hungry I just ate at 10:30. The spring salad looks good though."

"You aren't a vegetarian are you?" Paul silently hopes she's not.

"No, why?"

"Just wondering. So where exactly are you from?"

Megan proceeded to volunteer the key points of her life from where she was born, major events, moves, family make up, vaguely describing college years, losing her parents, jobs and her choice to move to a place like La Push. She did leave out the major reason why she needed and wanted to move across country. A part of her life she felt needed to stay private for now.

Paul noted that she left out any past relationships she had. He actually appreciated it. He was not ready to hear about any other man having touched her.

"You have a big family."

"No, I wouldn't call having two brothers as a big family."

"Compared to an only child it is."

"I guess you're right"

"Well, I gave you the low down on my life, what about yours?"

Paul grimaces, "Mine is really uneventful compared to yours."

"I still would like to hear the highlights though."

Talking about his family was a sore topic for Paul. It was always just him and his dad. He did have memories of a woman that was probably his mom but they were vague. Paul's father was a good provider and Paul knew his father loved him but Paul Sr. was not a loving man. Paul had gotten food, shelter, and clothing. Paul was told that his father was proud of him with a pat on the back when he had done something well. However, Paul had the need to be loved. The kind that a mother or woman who truly loves you can give, it was unconditional and never questioned. Was that the reason why he reacted so violently when he found her because she was the one person that he was to love and get love back?

Of course, he poorly explained the last ten years of his life because he couldn't reveal his secret just yet.

"I am so excited that you build furniture. I can't wait to see some of your pieces."

"I'll show you. Let's get out of here and you can look at what I am working on right now."

After a short protest, Paul paid and they headed back to La Push.

Paul's small ranch house had a large yard and included a separate workshop in the back. Pulling in front of the house, Megan fell in love with it. It was small but the yard was well taken care of and included a nice large porch in the front. The potted flowers would need to be replaced but the taupe colored house with black shutters was lovely.

Paul was proud of his home. It was very clean and he had updated almost every room. The master bathroom was the last major renovation left to tackle.

"You cut all this yard yourself?" Megan said looking around.

"Yes – why?" Paul asked not understanding what she meant.

"Oh, it's just a lot to cut. My brothers would die if they saw the amount of yard work you have. I was lucky enough growing up that I did housework not yard work or car maintenance."

"So are you saying you don't like the outdoors?"

"No, no just I don't like weeding, mowing, mulching, trimming or raking leaves and stuff. However, I like to plant flowers. My mom and I enjoyed planting bulbs and getting annuals to dress up the beds."

"Great – you're hired!"

"What?"

"You are hired, I hate doing that stuff so you are officially in charge of the flower beautification of my flower beds," Paul smiled with a smirk.

Giggling she sighed a yes.

"Come on – I got to see your new place you can see mine," pulling her hand that she didn't even realize he had been holding.

The house was really well decorated. It was masculine but not overly. The furniture was mostly wood similar to mission style but included a lot of shaker characteristics. Paul led her through the three bedroom two bath house giving her a summary of the things he had updated since buying the house.

Returning to the front room he had to ask because her what she thought.

"I love it, really. I can't believe the amount of work you've put into your place. I would have been afraid of buying a house and doing so many repairs. I can paint, change a toilet out, and some other basic things but you are more like a contractor."

"Well, when I am ready to renovate the other bathroom room I'll be expecting you to replace the toilet."

"Woo, woo, woo wait a minute….first I am doing the flowers now I am in charge of the toilet?"

With a wide grin Paul replied, "Yep."

"Don't think I won't come up with my own list for you too then." Megan smirked.

The playful banter between them was so natural. Paul had never ever had this type of relationship with a woman ever. He always seemed to enjoy only the physical side.

"Come on, I'll show you my workshop. Brady sometimes works with me on big jobs. Currently, we are making some kitchen cabinets for some guy's ski lodge near Hurricane Ridge."

Going through a back door and a short walk across the backyard was the workshop. Paul opened the door and turned his overhead lights on. Megan's jaw had dropped within the first minute of seeing his shop. Paul wasn't a woodworker, he was a craftsman. She again was silent as she lightly ran her hand over a chair nearest to her then walked to a large table that some of the cabinets had been assembled. She glanced around and noticed a dresser over to the side and walked towards it. After running her hand over the top, he turned to Paul with her mouth open.

"You made ALL of these?"

"Yes"

"ALL OF IT?"

"Yes, well with some help with Brady on the cabinets."

"Holy Shoot! I just figured out my list for you!" She grinned widely.

Paul had been scared to death that she wouldn't like the furniture. He mostly made heavy wooden pieces that had a flat buffing not high gloss and wood curving of a Victorian woodworker.

"WAIT A MINUTE! YOU MADE THE FURNITURE IN YOUR HOUSE?"

"Yes but I have someone that does all cushions for me. I couldn't pick the right fabric to save my life. Brady's mom helped me with picking something she thought I would like."

"All of the wooden pieces were yours?"

"Yes"

"So if I asked you to make a kitchen table for me you could?"

"Yes" he replied confused.

"Oh crap, I have died and gone to heaven!" Megan jumped over to Paul and hugged him.

Completely, shocked and unexpected Paul almost didn't catch her. She _jumped into HIS arms!_

Megan was kind of shocked at her own behavior. She didn't do well with initiating any kind of affection at the beginning of a relationship. But here she was literally throwing herself at a man she knew without a doubt in her heart she love but had just met.

Realizing that maybe he wouldn't like that, she hurriedly said sorry and started to pull away. But Paul stopped her for two reasons, one he LOVED it, and secondly he needed her to know it was okay.

When Megan realized that he didn't want to her to pull away she decided to enjoy it and rest her head on his chest and close her eyes. Damn this had to be her soul mate, she was so happy, content, safe, and could stay here forever.

This was what Paul needed, she had done exactly what he had hoped for. He silently sighed, his wolf was pacified and he was relieved that his imprint was finally here. Paul needed her so much more than he could ever express to her. He was scared that this might be one of the last times he could touch her before she found out about his wolf. If she ran, he was afraid he would be unable to handle his reaction or his wolf.

Unfortunately, Megan's dose of Tylenol had run its course and her ankle was slowly beginning to bother her more and more.

"Paul, can I get a glass of water?"

Pulling away Paul felt immediately embarrassed, "Oh, I am so sorry. I should have offered you something, when we got here."

"There is nothing to be sorry for. I wasn't thirsty . I just want to grab some Tylenol from my purse for my head and ankle."

"Darn it, I can't believe I forgot. Here." Paul sweep down and picked her up causing her to be startled.

"Yelp" she squeaked grabbing him.

He just laughed and started for the door. Once inside the house he sat her on the counter and gently took her ankle in his hands. Taking the wrap off of her ankle, he slowly moved her ankle back and forth.

"Does it hurt a lot?" he asked concerned.

"No, it's more just sore more than anything. I think if I stay on top of the Tylenol then it will be better in no time."

Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, he filled it with water from the refrigerator and handed it to her.

"I'll run out to the car and grab your purse, hold on." Paul dashed out the front door.

Megan took to moment to look around. He was so clean for a guy. She wanted to peek in her fridge. It would tell her a lot, almost as much as his medicine cabinet.

Paul hurriedly walked in with her purse awkwardly hanging from his hand. She wanted to reassure him that his man card would still be in tack even if he carried her purse for a whole one and a half minutes.

"What's the amused look on your face for?" Paul inquired.

"You"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. My purse doesn't have cooties. I promise."

Paul was amused as well; I guess he did look like it was contagious.

Pulling out her pill case, she took two more before downing them with some water. Paul ran back to his room to grab a sweatshirt for her to wear to the bonfire. He wanted to kiss Sue for reminding him that she'll need something warm to wear. He made sure he chose the one from his recreation center football days with 'La Hote" printed on the back.

"Here's a sweatshirt you can wear tonight. It's too small so you can just keep it." He really did try not to smile. He loved the idea with her wearing something with his name clearly on the back. Maybe it was a bit "dog marking his territory but he didn't care."

"Thanks"

Paul rewrapped her ankle and replaced her tennis shoe.

"I know an old Quelliete healing potion that might be just what you need. Let's go."

Again, without saying anything Paul picked her up and headed for the door.

"Wait, I forgot my purse."

Paul turned around and maneuvered her so he could pick it up and put it on his shoulder.

"I'll need some cootie potion when we get there too."

Megan smiled and shook her head.

After a short drive, they ended up at Sue's diner.

"She makes the best banana splits," he said with a smile.

"Uhh, Paul don't take this the wrong way but what are people going to say. The new teacher isn't in town for twenty-four hours and she's already trying to jump the first guy she sees. Okay, actually you're the third behind Mr. Porter and Chief Uley," turning in my seat to look at him.

Paul was hurt and he tried not to show it on his face.

"Please understand, being a teacher is different than having other jobs. I have to worry about what the community thinks. If they don't feel I have good manners or morals then they don't want me to teach their kids. Please understand, I am not embarrassed to be seen with you."

"Okay," he says quietly.

"Can we just act like we have a platonic relationship for now in public?" pleadingly she says.

"So does that mean we can act like we _don't_ have a platonic relationship in private or with privileged company?" he says trying to hide a smile.

"Yes," she says grinning ear to ear.

"Well, let's go then"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The diner is pretty empty considering it's in between the lunch and dinner rush. Paul keeps a respectful distance as the two grab a booth in the middle of the restaurant. She is introduced to a few locals and it is quickly explained that Sam and Emily asked Paul assist with her tire blow out.

Sue is smiling ear to ear as she tells the waitress that she'll take care of the table.

"Hi guys. How are things going?" she tries and fails to play dumb.

Paul sighs, "Emily called, didn't she?"

"Yep!" and beyond the laws of nature her grin gets bigger.

Megan wants to crawl under the table. She hates being the center of attention and if this is any indication of what she is going to face then she's going to be in big trouble.

Paul quietly tells Sue that they will not publically indicate they are together just yet. So, if she could please hold back on her comments they would appreciate it.

"Of course," Sue says looking to Megan. "So what can I get you?"

After Megan ordered chocolate ice cream and Paul getting his banana split, the two enjoy discussing Paul's apprenticeship with a woodworker in Olympia for five years before going off on his own. Paul was able to understand her statement earlier about controlling behavior. She shared her days of teaching violent and emotional troubled kids.

"What do you mean you've had desks thrown at you?" Paul is incredulous.

"Okay it was crazy at the time but I loved teaching those kids."

"Why?"

"They are always crazy and challenging at the beginning but if you keep treating them fair and truly show them you care then they'll love you back."

"I guess I understand what you mean."

"Let me put it this way, I taught the same group of fourteen middle school boys for two years in Philadelpia. I was called mom more often than when I taught elementary school. They begin to see you as family that can be trusted. I never had to worry about my safety after that first year. Once I had a new student that tried to go after me but my boys protected me. I used to tell them that I look at them as my own kids. I'll love you unconditionally but I'll discipline you because of that love."

"You make it sounds so easy."

Laughing Megan says, "You weren't there the first two months of me crying my eyes out each night because I hated my job."

"Do you still keep in touch with any of them?"

"I miss them but when I moved I lost contact with many of them. A few ended up in jail and two joined the military, when I am in that part of Philly I sometimes run into them from time to time."

"I wish I would have had a teacher like you when I was younger. I wonder how it would have changed how I did in school."

"That's really sweet of you to say," Megan smiled at him.

"How about we head back to Sam's?"

"Sure."

Keeping within Megan's request, each paid for their own ice cream and headed out.

While looking out the window, Megan asks, "Can you or Sam and Emily explain imprinting more to me?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Uh, I am not sure. I guess because I don't understand it I don't know what questions to ask."

"Megan, tonight at the bonfire you'll get to hear all the tribe's legends. However, they aren't really legends because they are true. Everyone that will be there will be only people that they directly affect or are elders that have the history. The stories will help you better understand all of this. Okay?"

"Okay"

"Most importantly, you need to understand is that you are safe and there isn't anything that will hurt you. I just need you to have an open mind."

Meeting his eyes, "Okay."

Staying quiet the rest of the ride, Paul pulled up in front of Sam's and turned to Megan.

"The truth is, I 'm scared you'll run once you hear everything. It will sound crazy and you probably won't believe it. However, it's important that you know you are safe. I can promise that. When you hear everything then I'll explain anything you want."

"Okay but now you are making me nervous."

"Shit that wasn't my goal. I just wanted to reassure you. I just want a chance to explain after you hear everything."

"How about after everything I learn that I promise to give you that chance? No matter what."

"That sounds perfect. Alright enough heavy stuff, let's go help Emily and Sam get ready for the bonfire."

Soon, Megan was helping Emily packing large bins with food and drinks to be brought. Sam and Paul are outside quietly discussing what had happened that day and how to handle everything tonight.

As Megan was placing some hot dogs in a cooler, "How many people are coming because this is a heck of a lot of food?"

"Umm, let's see: Sue, Billy, Old Quil, Brady, Collin, Seth & Lauren, Embry, Quil, Leah and Kyle, Jared & Kim, Paul & you, and Sam and I. So what's that? 18?"

"Do they all know about imprinting?" She asked shyly.

"Yes. Seth and Lauren, Leah and Kyle, Jared and Kim, Quil and Claire, Sam and I – oh Jacob and Reneesme but they won't be there tonight and of course, you and Paul have all imprinted."

"Claire? I thought she was in middle school?"

Emily's eyes got wide, "Uh, yeah – hold on a minute – "SAM" she yelled.

Sam and Paul rushed in thinking something had happened.

"What's wrong, what happened?"

"Megan wants to know about Quil and Claire and I don't know how to explain it so it doesn't freak her out."

Everyone's eyes flashed to Megan.

Sam looked to Megan, "Oh um, how about we sit down for a minute?"

Megan sat down at the table as well as everyone else.

"Okay, I know Paul told you that we have a gene that helps us identify our soul mate, right?"

"Yes"

"Good- well when your heart recognizes its other half then she is everything to you. She is the center of your universe and you'll do anything and everything to make sure she is happy and safe."

Megan glanced quickly to Paul then back to Sam.

"That happiness for her could be a best friend, a brother figure, a parental figure, or a lover. It is up to her how she chooses to have him in her life. Obviously, right now, Quil is a best friend and confident to Claire. He has no romantic feelings what so ever. It's purely protective and brotherly. When she gets older, she may want more then and he will be that too or if she wants less then that's what he'll do. Everything is centered around her happiness and safety. It's purely her choice."

"So he loves her as best friend and protector?"

"Yes"

With a scrunched up face she asks, "How do you know?"

"Umm, we just know. Believe me – we know. If we didn't then he wouldn't be living right now. Claire is Emily's niece."

Paul interjects, "Megan, you will understand more tonight. Afterwards, you see why we know this for a fact."

"Alright." Megan quietly says.

Emily changes the subject, "Why don't you guys starting loading the truck with the bins? We just have one left to fill."

Everyone got up from the table and headed towards the kitchen to get everything moving for the bonfire.

Soon everything was ready to go.

Megan looks over the bins in the back of Sam's truck. "Gee, do you guys do this often because you got everything so organized?"

Emily looked over to Megan while they watched Paul and Sam put the bin with hot dog skewers and other fire related pokers in the truck bed. "I guess you could say that. We meet at least once a month for council meetings and we try to have a bonfire then. We have been doing it this way for about ten years now."

"Oh"

Turning back to the guys as they headed to the porch, Megan tried not to be anxious but everyone was making it feel like she was going to flip out once he learned everything. She kind of just wanted to know already. Rip the bandaid off already!

Soon, they were all in their cars headed to the cliff overlooking the beach where they always had their meetings. Just as they got to the make shift parking lot, many of the others were pulling up in their cars.

In a quick secession, Megan was introduced to each one of the members. They were all kind and she chose to ignore the little quiet jabs that were given to Paul.

It was obvious that each person was in charge of some part of the bonfire because quickly food was laid out and they all surrounded a fire cooking their hot dogs and eating.

It was relaxed and comfortable. She sat next to Paul on a piece of driftwood that must have been brought to the cliff. They talked about everything and anything but Megan was completely bugged eyed at the food they ate.

Looking at Paul as he put another hot dog on his skewer she just had to comment, "Are you really going to have another hot dog? You had a least 12."

"yea"

"Do you have a metabolism issue because if you eat like that all the time you should weigh about three hundred pounds."

"Megan, I got this body from eating this much. I can model it for you if needed?"

She, of course needed to give him what he deserved. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Kim almost fell off her seat at the interaction between the two. Paul doesn't joke like that EVER. He will give a smartass comment but never a playful one.

Kim wasn't the only one that was amazed by Paul's behavior. However, they all could tell he was trying to hide how obviously stressed he was as well. His leg couldn't stop hopping on the ground and he was going to lose his hair if he didn't stop running his hands through it.

Megan was enjoying herself. The group luckily didn't single her out or dote over her. She just liked to blend in. She was able to finally meet Embry and discuss the apartment. He didn't need to sell her on any features after hearing the rent and it included utilities. Kim was sweet and easy to talk to. She had a lot of questions about teaching, it was something she had always considered pursuing after finishing her basic requirement class at a small college in Port Angeles. She needed to make a decision before the fall semester starts.

"Does that mean you'll be a regular volunteer?"

"Really? I can do that?"

"Of course, as long as Mr. Porter agrees."

"Great" Kim excitedly squeezed closer to Jared. He smiled at Megan as he returned Kim's hug.

It was now completely dark, Sam stood in an authoritative stance which seemed to quiet everyone.

"The Quillietes have been a small people from the beginning, and we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. First, we were spirit warriors."

He looked over to Billy as a signal for him to begin the stories.

Billy began at the beginning of the Quileutes known history of spirit warriors. He soon moved to Taha Aki's role in bringing the spirit warriors and wolves together. The entire time Paul watched Megan out the side of his eye. She didn't give anything way but seemed to be listen intently. It was agonizing not to know what was going on in her head. She barely moved or blinked. It seemed to last for hours.

Billy voice became low as he finally said, "And so the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."

Everyone was quiet and seemed mesmerized by the fire. Paul was about to explode with fear of what Megan's reaction may be. Her head was still turned towards Billy but her eyes were casted down and looked unfocused.

She slowly turned towards Paul and asked if they could go. She asked without looking at his eyes.

They both got up without saying anything and began walking down the path. Paul let her lead the way. Reaching the car, she turned around looking up into his eyes, "I don't understand."

Paul was at a loss as what to say, "Would it be okay to if we go back to my house and talk?"

She looked away and nodded her head and started to get into the passenger seat.

The entire ride was quiet as she looked out the window. Pulling up in front of his house he was at a complete loss what to say or do. He got out and came over to the passenger side and opened the door.

Megan got out and starting walking towards the door with Paul right behind her. He reached around her and opened the front door. She went in and kind of stood there like she didn't know what to do.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure" she followed him to the kitchen and watched as he opened his refrigerator door. As he opened the door she moved closer to look around him. It was practically bare with just a pizza box and condiments.

He was a little confused and shocked when he saw her smile looking in his fridge.

"What?"

"Nothing"

She turned and walked back into the living room. Paul was right behind her with her water and gave it to her as she sat down on his couch.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. Are you telling me that those stories are true?"

Looking in her eyes, "Yes."

"I am not really understanding what those stories mean for us."

"Megan, I'm a shapeshifter. I can shift into a wolf. I have been since my senior year in high school."

"A wolf?"

"Yes"

Megan was looking at him like she didn't understand.

"Meg, I know you are confused that it's not possible but it is. The same gene that imprinted us is the one that gives me the ability to shift into a wolf."

Megan didn't say anything. After a few moments, "Can I see?"

"Okay," Paul slowly got up and started walking towards the back door.

Megan was watching him from her seat when she suddenly realized that she should follow him. Paul seemed so forlorn.

When they were just outside the door Paul turned towards her, "Um, I need to take my clothes off or they'll be ruined. They rip when I shift. I guess you should also know that when I shift I am still me. You'll see a wolf that's really big but it's me not a wild animal. So don't be scared, I wouldn't hurt you."

"Oh, Okay," Megan quietly replied.

Paul turned from her and started walking further into the backyard. Megan began to follow him again.

He looked to her, "No, stay here. If I shift close to you then you could get hurt."

Megan stopped and watched Paul continue on.

Paul finally stopped and turned to meet Megan's eyes. He then looked down and began undressing. Megan moved foot to foot uncomfortably and looked away.

"Megan, remember I won't hurt you." Paul said almost forcing Megan to look at him again.

She nodded her head.

Paul tensed his shoulders and huffed a snort then pushed his wolf forward. His body fell forward as his wolf exploded from his body.

Megan keep trying to tell herself not to be scared but when Paul exploded into a horse sized wolf she could help a scream that left her lips. She fell back on her butt.

Paul whimpered. He had prepared himself that she would be scared but it didn't help when he felt her fear flow through his body. He immediately laid down and waited for her to make the first move.

Megan was dumbfounded. A wolf, Paul had turned into a wolf right in front of her eyes. What the hell? This doesn't happen but it did. She tried to tell herself as they listened to the stories that it wasn't possible but she SAW it. Her mind was racing with everything. She started to go through everything that was said tonight but she had to stop herself. It was too much, she needed focus on what was happened right now.

Megan took a deep breath and told herself to calm down, it was Paul. She closed her eyes and tried to reign in her fear. She slowly blew out a breath and slowly got up.

Megan slowly and slightly shaking began walking towards him, "Paul?"

Paul whimpered and slowly nodded his head.

She extended a shaky hand as she neared. Unconsciously, she needed to confirm this was real. When she touched the side of his face, he was completely still. Megan felt relief spread like fire through her body. She began to cry as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. It was a release she needed as she squeezed Paul tighter.

Paul whimpered and leaned towards her body. He felt her and his own relief wash over him. It was going to be okay. He knew that she could accept this. It was finally over; the suppressed panic he had felt all day was finally gone. She would be his. He would be able to freely love her and he would be able to be loved back. It was this moment that he would start the foundation of the rest of their lives. He thanked his ancestors for blessing him with her. It was the right time for him to accept someone's love.

Finally, she pulled back and looked at his face, "Your eyes are the same. I recognize them." She proceeded to look and feel his face with her hands. Paul's wolf hummed with satisfaction. Megan's hand pulled and petted his ears making him close his eyes. His fur was so soft so unlike what she would assume a real wolf's fur would feel like.

She slowly began to back up. Her face had the hint of a small smile, "Can you change back?"

Paul nodded then nudged her farther back with his nose making her giggle and grab his face again. He continued to nudge her then she finally realized that she needed to back up for him to shift back.

She moved backwards keeping her eyes on him the whole time. Pulling in a big breath as he pulled his wolf back in, Paul was soon crouched on the ground.

Megan knew he was going to shift back but she couldn't stop the soft gasp as Paul's human form was back. As he began to stand, she turned to the side to avoid seeing him naked. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that he was pulling on his shirt, turning back she looked at him with awe.

"Meg, you okay?" Paul slowly approached her.

"Yea" in a dazed voice.

"Come on, it's getting cooler out here, let's go back inside." Paul urged her back through the door. Satisfied that she didn't cringe away from his touch but leaned into it, he directed her back to the couch. He couldn't be happier. He knew she just needed time to process all that she had learned today.

With his arm wrapped around her he pulled her down to the couch with him while she leaned against his side then turned to look into his eyes.

"Does it hurt to phase?" She had a look of awe and confusion.

"No, it did at the beginning but now it's almost natural to change."

"Who else can do this?"

"Well, Jacob doesn't live here anymore. He lives in upstate New York with his imprint Renesmee. But everyone else lives here, Sam is alpha, Jared used to be beta but I have just recently moved to that position because Sam and Jared plan on retiring after the New Year, Embry, Seth, Brady, Collin, Qiul, and Leah. She is the only female shifter that is ever known. The others at the bonfire were imprints or elders that know of the legends."

"Oh"

Paul needed to ask, "Megan, are you scared?"

"No, I am just trying to understand everything."

She didn't say or ask anything else she just kind of stared at nothing while resting her head in the crook of his arm and chest.

Paul was so at peace, he couldn't have asked for a better reaction from her. Soon, his mind was fantasizing about their future together. There was still so much to learn about her. He wanted to make her as happy as possible here. This little light brown haired, grey –blue eyed beauty was the other half of his soul. For the first time ever, he felt complete.

Paul was pulled out of his thoughts as her head began to slowly fall. She had quietly fallen asleep. It only sealed his happiness more. Slowly he pulled from her body, turned and picked her up. He walked back to his bedroom and laid her down. He gently took off her shoes and covered her with the blanket at the foot of the bed. Moving to the other side, he laid down on his side and watched her sleep.

Her heart must have felt him; her body soon turned to his and snuggled against him. Paul couldn't help the feelings flowing through him. He was glad that no one could see as he quietly cried with relief and the promise of love finally.

A few hours later Paul heard a low howl towards the back of his property; knowing it was Sam he extracted himself from her grasp. Making his way quietly through the house he took off his shirt and jeans and threw them over the chair by the back door. Soon he phased and met with Sam and Jared in the back wooded area of his property.

"I can't go any further, I need to be able to hear her," Paul anxiously stated.

Sam and Jared recognized those feelings that Paul were now flowing through him. It had been just over ten years since they had found their imprints. The underlining stress of needing reassured she was healthy and happy. Especially until they were completely mated, he would fear others even more than any other time.

"Her sleeping in your house seems to be a good sign that she took the knowledge of us well," Sam said looking towards the house.

At Sam's statement, Paul replayed in his mind the events that happened after leaving the bonfire up to carrying her to bed.

Sam and Jared quietly congratulated Paul. The three discussed that she still had a lot to learn about them. However, her reaction to the most incredible part of their lives was promising that she would probably be able to handle the rest as well.

"Paul, don't overwhelm her too quickly. She has gotten a lot of incredible information within a short amount of time. Let this sink in first; answer her questions but don't volunteer any of the dramatic events. Luckily, she won't be starting to work for a little over a month so she'll have time to properly accept this."

"Paul, Megan seems like a strong person. You remember how Kimmy was, if she can accept and deal with everything then it should reassure you that Megan can," Jared kindly added.

"I am pulling you off patrol this week so you help her get moved in and adjust to life here," Sam said.

"Oh crap, her brother is on his way here with his girlfriend. They are supposed to arrive sometime on Tuesday," Paul worriedly said.

Jared said dumbfounded, "Wow, crappy timing"

"Yeah, you need to watch your interactions with her while he's here. If he gets wind of something strange or feels you are too close too soon, he may create some problems. You'll need to talk to her about this in the morning."

"You are right. I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with her family," Paul started going through the problems that could happen.

The thought of having to keep his distance while her brother was here already made him more anxious to get back in the house.

"The apartment will be ready on Tuesday. Call or stop down tomorrow, we should discuss how to deal with her brother in town. We can plan some things that will keep them busy with excuse for you to be near her as well and make him feel like she'll be safe here," Sam said.

Paul agreed.

With those words, Paul headed back to the house. Quickly getting dressed, he quietly made his way back to the room, he stopped at the door, taking in the sight of her peacefully curled in a ball. She had moved to the side he had been. Rearranging the blanket over her and getting on the other side he laid down and curled his body around hers. This was his personal piece of heaven.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Megan woke up warm and snug, she began to stretch then realized that she was wrapped up in Paul's arms. She sighed in contentment and took the moment to look at him. Paul was very handsome but more importantly she felt safe with him. She had never felt this way before with a man other than the men in her family. What are her brothers going to say after everything that had happened? She knew they would flip out if they thought that Paul was already appearing to be interested in her. In reality, she really shouldn't be with anyone right now. She was moving here to help her heal and escape the leverage of John. She was praying that the Indian reservation was the last place he would Look for her. What would Paul say when he found out? It was embarrassing to admit she had let herself get into that situation. She took the coward's way out but it had brought her Paul, so she couldn't let herself regret her decision. For now she needed to tell Paul to completely back off while her brother, Michael was here; she wasn't sure how he would react to asking him this.

Paul woke up with a start. Megan wasn't here but his panic stopped when he could feel her close and hear her in kitchen. He quickly got up and stopped in the bathroom before looking for her. He turned the corner and found her opening and closing all the cabinets. She was muttering something that he couldn't even make out.

"What's wrong?"

Megan spun around completely unaware of him walking in, "OH, Shoot! You scared the hell out of me."

Paul quietly chuckled walking further into the kitchen, "What are you looking for?"

"How is it possible that you are _that _big and you have ONLY Ramen Noodles to eat?" pointing to him.

"Emily, Kim, Sue, Leah, Lauren and any others who feel sorry for me and let me eat with them," Paul stated then internally realized for the first time that it was kind of sad.

Megan seemed to pick up on his sudden sadness at his statement. She walked over and hugged him and said, "They will be happy that you will now be able to stay home instead of showing up suddenly at their doorstep."

Paul's heart swelled more with love at what those words really meant.

They decided to head to Port Angles for breakfast after each of them took a quick shower. While she showered, Paul drove over to Sam's to picked up her things so she could have a change of clothes. He was rushing as fast as he could but Emily was slowing him down with hugs and congratulations.

When he got back she was still in the shower, so he placed her bag on his bed and closed his bedroom door to give her privacy.

He could hear her so easily that it made him flustered. To keep himself busy he decided that he would begin working on a chair. It would be for her living room to look out at the view of the ocean. He smiled as he sketched a rough picture of what he thought would work.

He heard her open the bedroom door and make her way down the hallway as he put the sketch in his kitchen drawer.

"Feel better?" he smiled at her rosy cheeks from a hot shower.

"Yes – loads. Thanks for getting my stuff."

"Good, let me quickly jump in the shower and I'll be right out so we can go."

The two of them were soon on their way to Port Angles hoping that no one would know Paul or ask who she was. This time they took his truck, she smirked getting in.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing."

"Bull, what's the smirk for?"

"Just remembering when I correctly guessed your truck," again she couldn't help smirking.

"Oh yeah, how were you able to guess my truck?"

"You're a single guy; you either own a truck or a sports car however, if you travel for your job you'd own a large sedan. YOU are obviously a truck guy. I am actually surprised you don't own a dog – oh, oh, ah… nevermind."

Paul did have to laugh at that. She didn't say or refer to anything that happened last night and he knew they needed to discuss it. After breakfast he was going to have her ask the questions he knew she needed to ask.

Yogurt and granola is not a proper breakfast according to Paul. That sparked a debate on acceptable breakfast foods that ended with Megan eating two large bites of Paul's omelet.

Paul proposed the two take short hike to a spring feed lake where he hoped would be a nice place to openly talk. After Megan tripping numerous times and almost face planting over an invisible vine, Paul pulled her on his back for a piggy back ride the rest of the way. Megan protested but actually loved wrapping herself around him. Finally, they arrived right where he had mentioned.

"Wow, it's so beautiful here. It's kind of a surprise how it just seems pop out in the middle of the forest." Megan bent down and put her hand in the water. It was ice cold and completely clear to the bottom.

Paul rolled a large log from the forest's edge for them to sit on. "Here."

She turned and sat down next to him.

"Megan, I know you have questions so I wanted to give you a chance to ask without everyone around."

She smiled a sad smile, "I do but I am not sure where to start."

Paul sighed and thought he could prompt her with giving her information that wasn't in the stories.

"I'll start with what happened to me. How's that sound?"

"I like that idea'"

Taking a deep breath Paul looked over the lake, "My dad's side of the family is a decent of Thomas Uley. That relation gives me the gene that allows me to shift. It is dormant until cold ones enter the region."

"I heard that last night, is a cold one a vampire?"

"Yes, they are our mortal enemy. Over ten years ago there were a group of vampires living in the area."

"WHAT? They drink blood RIGHT? How could they LIVE HERE?"

"No, No…I need to explain this better. Remember the story about Ehriham Black making a treaty with the cold ones that drank animal blood?"

Megan nodded with a stunned expression.

"That same coven came back. They continued to drink animal blood so we didn't fight them and stuck with the original treaty. However, their presence in the area triggered the gene to activate in our body. I was seventeen at the time and in high school."

"How did it happen?"

"I had always had a bad temper but it started to escalate. One night my dad and I got into a fight over how much food was in the house because I was so hungry. I couldn't even think straight I was so angry. My dad saw that I was completely losing it over something so little then he put a lot of things together; I was growing really fast and bulking up without working out, my body temperature was high, and my anger was uncontrollable. He called Old Quil while I was flipping out. Sam showed up and got me to go outside. I just kind of exploded after that." "It was really hard for me particularly at the beginning to control my temper so I wouldn't shift."

"Do you have to be angry to shift?"

"No, not anymore. I don't know how to explain it but I can feel my wolf within me. It makes it easier to work together I guess you could say."

"oh."

"On Saturday, when you were running from those loggers," he said through his gritted teeth.

"Yeah?"

"It was my wolf that found you. I suddenly felt panicked and I couldn't figure out why. I ran out and shifted and called the others. I didn't know what I was looking for but my wolf knew I had to look for something. When I came across your scent and it was mixed with blood, my wolf took complete control. I wasn't me anymore. I was second to my wolf. My pack could hear the panicking and feral mind when I found you. What you don't know is that I turned on my pack when I found you. I was all wolf and he only knew that his mate was hurt and others had hurt you. I would have killed anyone that got close to you. It took some time and Sam talking for me to regain myself. My wolf refused to give up all the control though. Leah had to carry you back to Sam's for Sue to take a look at you."

"Who was there?"

"All of the pack plus Emily, Kim and Sue."

"Everyone was there?"

"Yes but just for a short time when we first got back to Sam's"

"Why did everyone act like they didn't know me when I meet them? I feel kind of weird about everyone being there and knowing all of this when I was out of it."

"Megan, we have to be very careful about who knows and doesn't know about our secret. Would you have believed us anyways as soon as you woke up?"

"I guess no"

"We needed to see how you accepted me when we met first. While you were unconscious the elders met and decided that I would meet you at Sam's the next day, just like we did. However, when your heart accepted the imprint as soon as we made eye contact that was one of the single most happiest moments in my life. When that happened it made everything else easy."

Megan and Paul just smiled at each other.

Megan was silent for a bit before asking, "What do you guys do when you phase?"

"We have shifts that require us to run around the perimeter of the reservation to make sure no vampires have crossed over. They have a very distinct smell"

"Have any crossed over since you've been a wolf?"

"Yes but we got them. You have to pull them apart then burn the pieces. It's the only way to stop them."

"So that's what you've been doing for ten years?"

"Ah, pretty much and doing my apprenticeship then starting my own business."

"Wait, you said that your pack could feel you mind, what did that mean?"

"When we are in our wolf form, we can hear each other's thoughts. It helps us communicate even when we are miles away."

"If you shift then everyone who is in their wolf form can also hear you and see what you see?"

"Yes, remember you were worried about Claire and Quil?"

"Yes"

"We can feel his feelings towards her. They are completely platonic. I am not saying that there wasn't some drama when he first imprinted though. We all feel this need to protect each other's imprints. I think it's being a part of a pack I guess. The rest of the pack will always protect you even if I can't."

"Oh, is anyone in their wolf form right now? "

"I don't know. If I shift then I can tell but not when I am not shifted."

"If Sam and Jared are going to retire then who'll be alpha?"

"Well, I was going to move to alpha with Embry as beta but I'm not sure about that now."

"Why?"

"I am not sure I want be alpha. My priority is you now, not the pack."

Megan gave a small smile. "Can you shift for me? I want to see you again in the sun."

"Of course, wait here." Paul got up and went behind the trees. Soon the wolf was slowly making his way to Megan.

"Is anyone else in their wolf form?"

Paul shook his head side to side, making Megan smile. She then began looking over his size and running her hands through his fur. She felt his soft ears and commented on his enormous paws. Megan face was one of fascination and awe. Smiling when she make eye contact earning her a big soppy lick which she didn't find funny at all. Paul nudged her with his nose when she yelled at him for getting slobber all over her face. Of course, she couldn't stay mad at him and continued her study of his wolf.

Paul's wolf loved feeling her hands on his fur. His body hummed with pleasure and a shiver ran up his spine.

She stepped back and looked at him, "you are beautiful."

Paul huffed and moved back to the tree line. He came back around with a smirk on his face. Having her hands all over himself had sparked the need to now mark his scent on her. Last night, he enjoyed dreaming of truly marking her. He wasn't going to let her know nor had any other of the pack members let their imprints know. When she is finally marked then it stays with her, all others would know that she was taken.

He came around the log and sat down beside her. "Anything else you want to know or see?" He smiled.

"I can't think of anything else right now," she smiled back and leaned into him.

When she looked up at him he just couldn't help himself. He had been so good not to push her physically but the pull between them was strong. He leaned down and Megan easily leaned up as well to meet his lips. It quickly changed to an aggressive needy kiss that had Megan straddling his lap within a minute. Their hands roamed each other body and soon both of their shirts were discarded. Megan could feel him growing hard against her and began slowly grinding herself. Paul cupped and massaged her breast while his other hand cupped her ass to help rock back and forth.

Paul suddenly softly placed her back on the log and in a flash striped his clothes jumping in the cold mountain spring lake.

"Ahhhhh" Megan grabbed her head and panted trying to regulate her breath.

"I think we better head back," Paul called from the lake. Her head was dizzy as she stumbled around grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head. "I think you're right."

She started walking towards where she thought they had come. Paul was soon following behind her on their way back to the truck.

The quiet ride was interrupted by Megan's phone.

"Hey, where are you?" she said smiling in her phone.

Paul only got one side of the conversation but it was obviously her brother that was on his way here.

"I am staying with a friend named Emily that I met. We'll be able to get in the apartment tomorrow night so that's not necessary. Yes, the guy told me it should be ready on Tuesday so it should be perfect." Listening she looked over at Paul "I am sure my friends Emily and Kim will get their husbands to help us." She put her finger to her mouth silently telling Paul to be quiet.

"Friday morning? Okay, I am sure someone around here will give us some good places to visit. Seattle? Sure, I wanted to see the Space Needle too. Good, call me in the morning when you get on the road. Love you too. Bye." Pressing off, she looked at Paul hoping he wasn't upset that she didn't mention him.

"Your brother I assume?" Paul asked lightly.

"Yes, um… I wanted to talk to you about that but I don't want you to be upset." She nervously said.

Paul almost laughed at how they both had been nervous about letting her brother know about their relationship and talking to each other about it.

"Don't be nervous Megan, I was thinking that we shouldn't let your brother know anything just yet as well. Let's talk about this with Sam and Emily so we can make sure everything goes smoothly while he's in town.

She smiled at him knowing she didn't have to be worried about hurting his feelings.

He grabbed her hand and held it all the way to Sam and Emily's. Their quiet ride wasn't awkward it felt good to sit next to each other enjoying the ride.

Sam and Emily were completely agreeable with emphasizing the friendship with Emily and Kim. It would help Michael see that it was more of a community welcoming a new teacher and not a single guy swarming her as soon as she got into town. Michael would like that she already had at least two girl friends that she could turn to if she needed help.

Michael would get into town Tuesday afternoon. The guys would be there to help unload her things under the urging of Kim and Emily. Wednesday, everyone would go to the beach and cliff diving then dinner at Sam's after a day at the beach. Thursday, Megan would go to Seattle with her brother and girlfriend to sight see and stay the night for them to catch the red eye back to the East Coast. While in Seattle on Friday, she would buy or lease a car. Paul wasn't too keen on her plans for Thursday but he knew he needed to let her have this time with Michael. He could have her all to himself again by the afternoon on Friday.

Kim and Jared stopped by to discuss the plans for Wednesday in order to help Megan's brother feel secure in her living in La Push.

"Megan, I am holding you to our Gossip Girl nights at my house. Jared's well aware he has to get lost while Emily and I indulge." She smiled.

"Of course"

After finalizing their plans, Kim and Jared headed home. Paul turned "Megan, is it okay that you stay the night at my place again?"

"Yes, can we go now? I am getting tired."

Pulling her hand to help her up, Paul and Megan left after a short goodbye.

On the way back to Paul's, "Where does your dad live?"

"He lives here just past Sue's diner. He's works for the Olympic forest service."

"Do you see him a lot?"

"About one or two days a week, he'll stop by and see what I am working on and we'll go to Sue's for dinner."

"That's good. I was just wondering," she turned and looking out the window again.

Paul pulled on the hand he was holding so she would turn back to him.

"There was more to that question than you asked."

Megan looked back out the window, "I would just hate for you not to have any relationship with your dad. I would love to be able to still have mine. My brothers are great but it's different now that my mom and dad are gone," she said sadly.

Reaching over, Paul pulled her flush against his body to hold her close.

To get her out of her mood Paul asked about her brothers.

"Michael is younger than me. He just graduated with a degree in business management. My dad's friend is going to hook him up with a job in a real estate brokerage. He's mister lucky. Very charismatic and good all-around guy, he's been there when I have needed a brother or a friend. April, his girlfriend, is nice. I think he'll ask her to marry him some day. My older brother, Brandon, is the responsible one. He works for a security system firm and is married. His wife and I get along really well and she's is a perfect match for him. I lived with him for a while before coming out here. He is not happy that I am moving here. I think he would prefer to keep me in a specific geographical area so he can become my father." She said with a chuckle.

Pulling in front of Paul's house, he turned to her "you obviously love them."

"Of course, they are my brothers. I would do anything for them."

Megan slid across the seat to get out on Paul's side. They walked hand and hand to the house. She agreed to wear Paul's t-shirt to bed and was informed that she wore his t-shirt to bed at Sam's as well. It was agreed that due to the lack of control that they would not be kissing at least until her brother left. Megan easily snuggled into his chest and was asleep within minutes.

Paul woke up quite early on Tuesday, unconsciously he needed to spend as much time with her as possible before her brother got into town. Leaving a note and he quietly hurried to Sue's for breakfast take-out. Yesterday's debate made picking today's breakfast an easy task. He quietly relished being able to take care of her in some way. He was excited to be able to do that. He had never taken care of someone. His father was a healthy man that had never a serious ailment.

**Please review! I will be traveling for Christmas so won't be updating for while. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Megan woke with a weird feeling. Turning over, she realized it was the pull in her chest. Was it always going to be like this when he wasn't right here? Laying there a while, she finally got up and headed to the bathroom. Just as she was washing her hair, she felt the pull change. Paul must be back from where ever he went. Finishing quickly, she got dressed and headed for the living room.

Paul was pulling dishes out of the oven as she rounded the corner. "Perfect timing" Paul smiled. "Sue told me to put this in the oven to keep them warm until you were ready to eat."

"Thanks. That was really sweet of you to think of breakfast," Megan walked over and squeezed Paul's arm while looking over the table.

This was one of those moments he had never realized he had always wanted. It was to feel love from a woman that he loved more than himself and to give her something simple that she appreciated. She wrapped her arms around this arm with such ease and happiness. He wished he had a picture of this moment, it would be forever be one of his most cherished possessions.

Giving him a tighter squeeze before smiling up at him then pulling him over to the table with her; the two continued to debate over what she was eating and whether it included enough of the USDA's daily requirements.

Megan's brother soon called and let her know that he was just leaving Spokane and making the last of the trip to La Push. He would call when he got close so he could get directions to the apartment. Hanging up with her brother, she realized that it felt that she had been in La Push for a long time. Her time with Paul had been wonderful and so comfortable.

Megan turned towards Paul, "I am guessing he'll be here about three."

"Good, I wanted to go by the apartment first and make sure everything is ready for you."

"I'll run to the store and pick up some cleaning supplies I wanted to get." Megan replied.

"What? No! I want to spend as much time with you as I can before your brother gets here."

"Paul, we still can't be seen driving around together everywhere just yet. I need to have been here at least a couple of weeks."

Paul's face told her that he was obviously not happy with her plan.

Smiling Megan put her hand on his, "I'll be just a little while, I am going to go to the La Push grocery store next to Sue's, so it's not that far. Come on, the faster we split up then the faster we'll be back together."

Getting up in a very unhappy manner, "Fine, give me your phone. I am putting my number in it."

Megan without a word handed him her phone. He called his own phone then saved the number in her contacts.

"You need to call me if you are going to be later than a half an hour. I'll worry so please call."

"Okay, I will." She smiled back at him.

The two quickly cleaned up together and gave each other a long hug then headed in different directions.

The apartment was perfect. Through Megan's pestering, it was revealed that when the council had met while she was unconscious at Sam's, Embry had given up his apartment for her. She was shocked and embarrassed but happy that she would be in La Push and not so far away in Forks. Megan promised Embry a homemade meal with an apple pie all to himself for doing that for her.

After an extensive amount of pizza and beer, Megan's brother called from Forks looking for directions. Jared was tasked with the job of explaining the last bit to her brother.

Soon, it was time that Paul needed to leave before Michael got there. Jared, Sam, and Embry would help unload the truck then leave the group to unpacking and dinner on their own. Megan pulled Paul into the bedroom, they both knew they couldn't kiss or the imprint would completely take over like it almost as it did in the forest. They quietly agreed that the group would eat at Sue's diner which Paul could be just so happens eat at the counter at the same time. After a long hug, he left without a word.

It wasn't long before Michael and April pulled up with the truck. It felt like months that she had last seen her brother. After quick introductions, the truck was quickly unloaded with all the boxes and furniture in the correct rooms. After plans for Wednesday were confirmed the guys were on their way.

The rest of the evening was done perfectly to plan, Sue made a fuss over Megan to her brother and he enjoyed revealing her embarrassing quirks.

Sue looking confused asked, "What's a sectional eater? Sounds like of perverted to me." She chuckled at Megan's expense.

They all got a good laugh from Sue, even Megan couldn't help giggling but she did turn completely red.

"She'll only eat one thing at a time. Oh and nothing can't touch each other. You know, she'll eat all her chicken, then all her asparagus, and then all her mashed potatoes. If her chicken touches the potatoes then she won't eat it."

Sue looked to Megan, "That's weird you know."

Megan puffed out her chin, "Yes but that's the way I like. I can't help if you all eat like a pig, slopping it all over the place."

Of course, the laughter only got louder. Soon, Sue was sitting at the table enjoying the banter back and forth. Paul got to enjoy all this from the counter. He absorbed every detail her brother gave. He desperately wanted to be sitting there with them asking her brother the questions and understanding her more.

Megan couldn't take it anymore, the close proximity to Paul was driving her crazy and her brothers complete enjoyment of embarrassing her was making her want to crawl in a hole. She excused herself to the restroom only to be quickly followed by Paul down the dark back hallway.

Walking slowly, she let a scream when someone's hand wrapped around her mouth.

"Shhhh, it's me" Paul smiled at her. She turned and hugged him. Damn, how was she going to get through the next few days? It had only been a few hours and it felt like her chest was aching.

"Paul, this sucks. How are we going to do this?" She looked with pleading eyes up at him.

He was quiet for a moment, "Tonight, insist that your brother sleep in your room. Come out on the stoop and I'll meet you there."

"Okay, what time?"

"It doesn't matter what time, I'll be there."

Just then Paul quickly pushed her away and ran into the restroom as April rounded the corner.

"Hey, are you coming back? We thought you fell in."

Megan smiled, "I just was walking out." Following her.

The group soon left with Michael's promise to Sue that he would reveal more during his next visit to La Push. Megan punching his arm repeatedly quickly followed.

The evening was spent putting dishes away, setting up the television and computer, unpacking clothes and knick knacks and more. A list for the grocery store was made that would be bought in the morning after a run to a coffee shop in Forks.

"Cable is included? What the hell? I should move here and rent a place. Oh hey, do you get HBO? I missed the new Game of Thrones."

Megan and April both rolled their eyes and went back to putting books on her bookshelf.

"Crap! If you actually got HBO then I would kick you out and I would move here but since it's only basic then you can keep it," Michael smirked.

They worked efficiently and soon almost everything had a place.

"I'll take these boxes to the dumpster," Michael was already headed to the door.

"So Meg, are you excited?" April kindly asked.

"Yes, it's so different from where I have lived before that I am hoping it will be a completely new beginning for me." Megan thoughtfully answered.

"Just so you know, Michael and Brandon were really starting to get scared for you. They really tried to hide their footsteps and yours before we got here. They are both afraid that something will happen here and neither of them will be here in time to help you."

"I really hope this move is going to be the end of that whole thing with John. I can't live like I was anymore and I don't want Michael or Brandon feel guilt over something that was my doing. Please in your own way reassure them. I got friends here already and I think being on a Native American reservation may be the last place that he'll come looking. I am hoping he'll finally get bored or move on."

Michael came storming in, "I am going to talk to that Embry guy tomorrow. It's too dark out there. You are going to need a flood light or something. Hell, if he lets you then you pay to put a security system in. Brandon will hook you up. The rent is cheap enough. You are going to fall and break your neck if you don't. Did he say anything about snow removal? You don't need to be out there shoveling. He's going to need to check on you too. He works in the shop downstairs pretty much every day, right? What if something happens? Who's going to know that you need help if you can't call them? Yep, I got to talk to those friends of yours and their husbands again."

Megan without a word went over and hugged him, "I love you too, Michael."

"I wasn't kidding, Meg." He said stubbornly.

Their night was busy so it passed quickly. Michael was easily persuaded to sleep with April in her bed while Megan slept on the couch. After an hour of complete silence from her room, she quietly went out the front door. Moving to the bottom step, she pulled out her phone to call Paul.

"Who the heck are you calling at this hour?" Paul quietly walked out of the trees behind her apartment.

"Ugh, you scared the crap out of me. Why do you do that?"

"What? I kind of can't help it. It's comes with the wolf stuff." Paul smirked.

"Whatever."

"So did you get everything done?"

"Yes, I don't have that much stuff. We are going to the store in Forks tomorrow morning to get some groceries."

"When are you turning in the moving truck?"

"Thursday, when we go sightseeing in Seattle, I need to look for a car as well. I want to turn in my rental car by Friday."

"Why didn't you bring your old car?"

"uh, it was getting old and I didn't want to have to bring it across country."

Paul could tell she was hiding a big something. He had heard everything that she and April spoke about. It was obviously pretty important if it would cause her to move 4,000 miles away. It also had something to do with some guy named John. He told himself he needed to wait till Megan wanted to tell him. She would when she completely trusted him and he was going to everything he could to show her.

"So what kind of car are you thinking?"

"Well, I don't know if I want to lease or buy. It will depend on the price and what I can afford but I was thinking a small or medium sized SUV. I assume the roads probably get rough around here in the winter so I thought it would be best to get something with four wheel drive. What do you think?"

"I think your right but definitely a midsize or larger SUV though. I don't like the idea of you in a small car. You'll need some more cushion between you and an accident."

"Have you been talking to my brother?"

"What?"

"That sounds like something my brother would say." She smiled.

"I thought I would like your brother," he smiled.

The talked about possible choices of SUV's that would prove to safe and reliable for Megan to drive. Her eyes began to droop and Paul insisted that she go back up to sleep. While giving a nice good night hug, "I am going to enjoy kissing the heck out of you on Friday," She whispered.

Paul wolf almost grabbed her right there. He was afraid that his wolf would take over when they did kiss again. The urge to mark her was growing steady every day. Paul may need to talk to her before that time because he may not be able to regain control if she didn't make it clear.

"I'll see you at First Beach just after lunch. I am going to have Sam introduce me to you and your brother. It's going to be hard to stay away from you or not pay attention. So you need to keep that in mind, okay?"

She smiled up at him, "okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The morning was uneventful except for the phone call to Emily to ask for directions because they got lost. Megan's apartment was stocked full by noon and after a quick sandwich the group was heading to the beach.

Megan did have a good figure but she didn't feel comfortable wearing anything that would be too provocative. Her deep royal blue sporty bikini was something she felt comfortable in even in front of people she didn't know.

They easily spotted Emily and Kim's group down the beach and headed that way. There were a few introductions including Paul but both he and Megan just gave a short wave as a way of saying hello.

He really enjoyed seeing Megan in her bikini, she didn't realize how hot she looked. He told himself not to stare but he enjoyed looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

Embry was quickly cornered by Michael as he rattled off his list of concerns. He would of loved to tell him not to worry that Paul had already made plans to get a light put up and Paul probably wouldn't even let her drive when it snowed anyways so she didn't have to worry about shoveling. However, he placated Michael and easily agreed to his requests.

The group was in and out of the water but Megan noted that the Pacific Ocean was a lot cooler than the Atlantic. Of course, a game of football was started with the guys as the girls worked on their tans and enjoyed the light breeze off of the water.

Running over, Jared took a long drink from a bottle of water, "Alright, it's time for some real fun. Let's head to the cliffs."

Michael was as pumped as the others as he followed the others up the path.

"Wait, where do you think you are going?" Megan grabbed Michael's arm.

"Cliff diving, what do you think?"

"You can't, they do this all the time. The current will pull you under." Megan gripped him tighter.

"Meg, let him go. I want go too." April pulled his other arm.

"She's right Megan, we all go. The guys will help if they need to. I am going with Jared. One of the guys will take you." Kim smiled then winked.

"I don't know."

Michael now pulled her, "Come on, I want you to take a picture of me on my phone. This is so cool!"

Megan soon found herself at the top of a cliff with everyone standing around. Paul and Sam were giving Michael pointers. He would go with April after Kim and Jared followed by Sam and Emily if he needed help afterwards Leah and Kyle.

"Ah, Meg you have to do this. Come on, one of these guys will take you and make sure you are okay." Looking around quickly, "Hey, Paul, you'll take her right?"

"Yeah, sure" Paul would have done a happy dance but was afraid Michael might change his mind.

Embry, of course needed to show off by doing a back flip, complete with a grin and a finger to the others. Lauren riding piggy back on Seth followed by the others in quick secession. April did try to keep her cool but ending up screaming the entire way down. Looking out over the edge, Megan was relieved to see Michael and April make it safely back to the shore.

"So are you ready?" Paul grinned at the thought of her wrapped around his body.

"I think I am going to throw up," Megan gulped.

Pulling her close he whispered, "You know I would never let anything or anyone hurt you. Trust me."

Megan looked up into his eyes and when they were caught in his, she completely believed it.

"Okay," Megan said in a small voice.

The others could be heard yelling up at them. Paul walked over to the edge and told them hold on.

"Megan, you decide what you would prefer. Do you want me to hold you to my front or ride on my back?"

"I –I –I think I b-better hold you on your f-front."

"You're going to love it. Don't let your fear prevent you from having fun."

Paul pulled her to his body and lifted her up. He was able to keep in check with the fear she was sending through him. She wrapped herself tightly around him, tucking her head in his neck. He was loving every moment of this. Her heart was racing and the pull felt satisfied. They should do this all day.

"Okay, when we reach the water just stay wrapped around me, I'll swim with you over to the shore."

Megan nodded her head not looking up.

Squeezing her tight with his arms, he jumped. He didn't think it was possible but she tighten her grip.

Their bodies hit the water smoothly, Paul rose fast through the water to the surface. He pulled her head out from his neck to look at her face.

"See you're okay. I told you I won't let anything happen to you."

Megan's heart still pounded in her chest as she nodded.

Chuckling Paul headed to the shore, Megan finally let go when she felt her body rise out of the water.

Michael was laughing his head off. "Damn, I wish I could of seen your face. I thought Paul was going to lose circulation because you were squeezing him so tight."

She did what any good sister would do. She knuckle punched him in the arm then ran behind Jared.

"Hey," Michael yelled. He started stalking over to Jared. "He's not Brandon, Meg. He won't protect you."

Megan tried to make another run for it but Michael easily grabbed her and threw her in the water.

"Who's the most awesome brother?" Michael pushed her back in laughing as she tried to get up.

Trying to stand up, "Brandon!"

Michael pushed her back in, "Again, who's the most awesome brother?" he laughed.

"BRANDON!" Mega trying again while laughing.

As Michael went to push her back in Megan pulled him back down with her.

The two siblings laughed and splashed each other until they wore themselves out.

The others just laughed and enjoyed the banter between Megan and Michael.

"Well, I need to do that again before I go. That was so cool." Michael said as he got out of the water and started up the path again.

The other guys were hot on his trail as the girls headed back to the blankets to pack up.

"How about you guys go back and get cleaned up then come over to my house?" Emily said.

"That's sounds like a plan." Megan smiled as she and April shook out the towels.

The guys came back and everyone said their good byes. Paul tried his best not to look at Megan but he couldn't help. Luckily, Michael was too busy getting water on April to notice. Megan caught his eye and smiled.


End file.
